Consumer complaint received 2024-05-30
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes — 
Company: EQUIFAX, INC. (OR)

15 U.S. Code 1681c1 states with regard to extended fraud alerts, " ( b ) Extended alerts ( 1 ) In general Upon the direct request of a consumer, or an individual acting on behalf of or as a personal representative of a consumer, who submits an identity theft report to a consumer reporting agency described in section 1681a ( p ) of this title that maintains a file on the consumer, if the agency has received appropriate proof of the identity of the requester, the agency shall ( A ) include a fraud alert in the file of that consumer, and also provide that alert along with any credit score generated in using that file, during the 7-year period beginning on the date of such request, unless the consumer or such representative requests that such fraud alert be removed before the end of such period and the agency has received appropriate proof of the identity of the requester for such purpose ; ( B ) during the 5-year period beginning on the date of such request, exclude the consumer from any list of consumers prepared by the consumer reporting agency and provided to any third party to offer credit or insurance to the consumer as part of a transaction that was not initiated by the consumer, unless the consumer or such representative requests that such exclusion be rescinded before the end of such period ; and ( C ) refer the information regarding the extended fraud alert under this paragraph to each of the other consumer reporting agencies described in section 1681a ( p ) of this title, in accordance with procedures developed under section 1681s ( f ) of this title. '' and with regard to requesting credit reports after placing an extended fraud alert, ( 2 ) Access to free reports In any case in which a consumer reporting agency includes a fraud alert in the file of a consumer pursuant to this subsection, the consumer reporting agency shall ( A ) disclose to the consumer that the consumer may request 2 free copies of the file of the consumer pursuant to section 1681j ( d ) of this title during the 12-month period beginning on the date on which the fraud alert was included in the file ; and ( B ) provide to the consumer all disclosures required to be made under section 1681g of this title, without charge to the consumer, not later than 3 business days after any request described in subparagraph ( A ). '' On XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX Equifax was provided by US postal mail formal identity theft report accompanied by a valid police report and sufficient proof of identity for a victim of identity theft. In each instance the response was to refuse blocking of information under Section 605B ( c ) of the FCRA which pertains to disputing information in error or having made a material misrepresentation. This has become a standard response to every victim reporting identity theft to Equifax. They then provide dispute responses that indicate disputed information related to the identity theft does not appear on the credit report.

They DO NOT ever respond to the request for an extended fraud alert or provide an updated credit report for review as requested.

Their failure to provide the extended alert or provide the updated credit report as requested in 3 separate written reports of identity theft constitute a total of 6 instances of willful violation of 15 U.S. Code 1681c1. It is reasonable to conclude that anyone reporting identity theft to Equifax in recent months is encountering similar intransigence.