Consumer complaint received 2024-07-30
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Personal information incorrect
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc. (MA)

On XX/XX/XXXX I got a 2-factor authenticator text message with a code requesting for Massachusetts XXXX XXXX the text came in at XXXX ). I then looked at my XXXX and saw an email from Experian that a hard credit card application inquiry was made ( email came in at XXXX ). XXXX XXXX emailed me XXXX. I had issues disputing the inquiry with Experian as the proper fraud department I needed to speak with was closed, so instead I did it through my XXXX account and received a dispute letter to send to the credit bureaus. On Monday XX/XX/XXXX I contacted Experian to make sure the inquiry was properly disputed and upon pulling my credit report I discovered a phone number that wasn't mine. I then contacted XXXX XXXX to dispute the fraudulent application and had them confirm the phone number used on the application was the same fraudulent number on my credit report. I was told via Experian that placing a fraud alert on all three credit bureaus was enough to protect my identity, instead of, or in addition to, credit bureau freezes. On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX I received an alert that Experian digital wallet was opened. I contacted Experian 's digital wallet department to close the wallet, which the representative did close and, I assumed, marked fraudulent. After I got off the phone and was on the Experian mobile app, I realized t hat my phone and email was changed to an email I did not recognize and the same phone number that was listed on my credit report 9 days before. Thankfully, I took a screenshot before I was logged out of my Experian account by the identity fraudster, password being changed, and 2-factor code being sent to fraudster phone number ( email is XXXX and phone number is XXXX ). I called Experian and spoke to multiple departments to change back my account info as I do not want this to hurt my credit score, or my SSN/personal information to continue being used. When I spoke with an Experian representative, she told me she can not 'verify ' my information via phone and that I needed to send in my personal information via direct mail to their escalation team in Texas . As a reoccurring victim of identity theft, I was extremely nervous about this, especially as my account should've been marked fraudulent. About 2 weeks later on XX/XX/XXXX, I received XXXX XXXX checkbooks in the mail assuming via the fraudster, which I then closed and disputed with XXXX XXXX and XXXX ( which the account was open from ). The representative at XXXX told my XXXX customer service agent that the application looked 'suspicious ' but then decided to accept it anyways. Which is sense why the XXXX XXXX was opened. Since then, I have not heard back from either XXXX or XXXX XXXX verify the accounts were closed and marked fraudulent - only verbal confirmation by phone and was promised a follow up. I since then opened a police report with the phone number linked to my Experian profile, had been updating my FTC report, and marched down to the social security office for answers on how to protect myself and 1 ) freeze my personal information so the fraudster can not attack me anymore 2 ) get back into my Experian account as a victim of fraud. I have been a loyal Experian member for many, MANY years. I do want access back so I can continue to dispute anything used with my personal information regarding the account, and if the fraudster opens back up another digital wallet. I since have opened a XXXX account to monitor all three credit bureaus and placed a XXXX XXXX freeze.