Consumer complaint received 2025-11-23 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
Re : Formal Rebuttal to XXXX Response Failure to Provide Required Validation & Failure to Legally Verify the Debt To Whom It May Concern : This letter is a formal rebuttal to your companys recent response regarding the alleged XXXX  XXXX account ending in XXXX. 
Your response does not meet the legal requirements under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). 

You stated that XXXX : Purchased the alleged account, Sent an initial notice on XX/XX/year>, Has no record of a dispute, And has notified the bureaus of an active dispute. 

Your response fails to satisfy the law in several key areas. 

XXXX. XXXX Has Not Provided Proper Debt Validation FDCPA 809 ( b ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1692g ( b ) ) Under federal law, once a consumer disputes an alleged debt, the collector must : Cease all collection activity, Provide full validation and proof, Including a copy of the original signed contract, A complete accounting, And evidence showing that XXXX has the legal right to collect. 

Your response does not include : A signed agreement, Billing statements, A chain of title proving XXXX owns the debt, Or account-level documentation showing how the balance was calculated. 

Business records provided to us by XXXX XXXX is not legal validation. 

XXXX. XXXX Must Provide Proof of Assignment FDCPA + State Contract Law Because you claim to be a debt buyer, you must provide : The Bill of Sale, The Purchase Agreement, A complete chain of title, Showing XXXX legally owns the specific account belonging to me. 

A generic statement that XXXX purchased the debt does not fulfill this requirement. 

3. Reporting a Debt Without Full Validation Violates the FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) Debt buyers may not furnish or continue reporting information that : Is disputed, Is unverified, Or lacks evidence. 

Until you provide full validation, XXXX is prohibited from continuing to report the account. 

Reporting an unvalidated debt is a violation of : FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) reporting inaccurate information FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 3 ) failure to report a dispute FCRA 623 ( b ) failure to conduct proper investigation after a dispute 4. XXXX Statement That No Prior Dispute Was Received Is Irrelevant Under FDCPA, a consumer may dispute at any time. 
There is no expiration period for disputing an alleged debt. 

Your own letter admits the account is now marked as disputed. 
Therefore XXXX must : Validate before any further reporting Validate before any collection Or delete the entry if unable to validate This is required under FDCPA 809 ( b ).

5. XXXX Must Cease Collection Activity FDCPA 809 ( b ) You acknowledged that the account is disputed, yet XXXX has : Continued reporting the debt Continued collection claims Failed to provide validation Until you produce legal validation, XXXX must cease all collection activity, including credit reporting. 

XXXX. XXXX Investigation Is Not Sufficient Under FCRA 611 ( a ) You stated XXXX initiated an investigation. 

A collectors internal review is not a legal investigation. 
Under the FCRA, XXXX must provide : Evidence, not summaries Documents, not internal notes You did not provide : Verification materials, Copies of documentation from XXXX  XXXX, Or any proof of account accuracy. 

DEMANDS UNDER FEDERAL LAW I am demanding the following, as required under the FDCPA and FCRA : Validation of the Debt, including : Original signed contract Complete account history Proof of ownership ( chain of title ) Itemized balance breakdown All documents used to verify the debt. 

Cease collection and reporting until validation is provided. 

If XXXX can not validate the debt : Immediately delete the account from all credit bureaus under FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 5 ) and FDCPA 809 ( b ). 

Failure to comply will result in : A supplemental CFPB complaint, A complaint to the State Attorney General, And consideration of litigation for violations under : FCRA 616617 and FDCPA 807813. 

Please send all documentation to my address listed above. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief