Consumer complaint received 2025-03-28 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Reporting company used your report improperly
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: OH

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this formal complaint against Equifax, XXXX, and XXXX, along with the following data furnishers, for their continued violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Despite multiple disputes and supporting documentation, the credit bureaus have failed to lawfully investigate and correct these inaccuracies. Instead, I have received stall letters that do not address the substance of my disputes, violating my consumer rights under federal law.

The following statutes have been repeatedly violated : 15 U.S. Code 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) Prohibits the reporting of information that is known to be inaccurate. These furnishers have reported false and unverifiable data in direct violation of this law.

15 U.S. Code 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) Requires a proper reinvestigation of disputed information. The bureaus have instead issued generic responses without conducting a legitimate investigation.

15 U.S. Code 1692g ( a ) Requires that debt collectors provide validation of a debt within five days of an initial communication. These furnishers have failed to comply with this requirement.

15 U.S. Code 1692c Prohibits unauthorized third-party communication. I have not provided consent for certain debt collectors to contact me, making their communications illegal.

15 U.S. Code 1692d ( 2 ) Prohibits misleading or abusive collection practices. Some of these furnishers have misrepresented charge-offs as outstanding debts, which is an unlawful misclassification.

The inclusion of child support-related court documents on my consumer credit report is a clear violation of my right to privacy under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). According to 15 U.S. Code 1681b, consumer reporting agencies are only permitted to furnish reports for specific, permissible purposes, and child support orders are not inherently financial obligations intended for credit assessment unless a valid, legally substantiated debt exists and is being collected by an authorized government agency.

Furthermore, the disclosure of private court records involving family matters without my written consent constitutes a breach of privacy under 15 U.S. Code 1681b ( a ) ( 2 ) and could potentially fall under unauthorized third-party disclosure violations referenced in 15 U.S. Code 1692b ( 2 ) of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ).

This reporting is : Unrelated to creditworthiness Highly sensitive and protected by family court confidentiality An unlawful invasion of personal privacy Additionally, charge-off accounts have been misrepresented. The IRS classifies charge-offs as gross or ordinary income, meaning they can not be pursued as an outstanding debt. IRS 2021 guidelines state that lenders must file Form 1099-C for canceled debt over {$600.00}. These accounts were charged off and reported as income, yet they continue to be listed as active collections, which is an intentional misrepresentation of financial records.

Under the FCRA, the credit bureaus are required to : Conduct a proper independent reinvestigation of disputed accounts.

Provide evidence that the accounts have been verified through original documentation ( i.e., a contract with my wet-ink signature ).

Remove or correct inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable data within 30 days ( per 15 U.S. Code 1681i ( a ) ).

Since the credit bureaus and furnishers have failed to comply, I am requesting CFPB intervention to enforce compliance and hold them accountable for their violations.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief