Consumer complaint received 2024-11-07 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
To Whom It May Concern, This letter serves as formal notice of my intent to pursue legal action against XXXX, XXXX, and Equifax due to ongoing inaccuracies and unauthorized entries in the hard and soft inquiries sections of my credit report. The failure to promptly address these inaccuracies and eliminate redundant entries violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) regulations, and Metro 2 compliance standards. I am demanding immediate action to verify and delete all unauthorized or redundant inquiries, along with {$1000.00} in damages for each instance of non-compliance. 

Issue Summary The following inquiries appear inaccurately on my credit report and require your immediate investigation, verification, and removal if they are found to be unauthorized or unverifiable : Hard Inquiries : XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX Each of these inquiries was not initiated with my explicit consent, nor do they pertain to any credit application that I authorized. I request immediate investigation and removal of any unverified hard inquiries. 
Duplicate Soft Inquiries : There are numerous duplicate soft inquiries from Equifax, Equifax Consumer Services, and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX spanning dates from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. 
The recurrence of these inquiries reflects inadequate processes to manage and verify soft inquiry activity, which leads to clutter on my report and misrepresents my credit activity. 
Unverifiable Soft Inquiries : Entities including XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX have accessed my report, but I do not recall authorizing these inquiries. If these entries can not be verified with supporting documentation, they should be promptly removed. 
1. Violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) Under the FCRA, credit reporting agencies are required to ensure the accuracy and verifiability of all entries on a consumers credit report. These inaccuracies and excessive inquiries are in violation of : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) Credit reporting agencies must use reasonable procedures to ensure maximum possible accuracy. Multiple entries and unverifiable inquiries indicate non-compliance with this requirement.

15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) Agencies must investigate disputes promptly and remove unverifiable entries. The failure to adequately verify or remove the disputed inquiries after my prior dispute submission constitutes non-compliance. 
The Supreme Court 's ruling in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) established that credit reporting agencies are liable for harm caused by inaccuracies. This ruling supports my request for the deletion of unverifiable inquiries from my report. 

2. Compliance with Metro 2 Standards The Metro 2 standards established by the Consumer Data Industry Association ( CDIA ) require standardized coding and data accuracy. The repeated and inaccurate entries indicate a lack of compliance with these industry standards : Inquiry Coding : According to Metro 2 guidelines, inquiries must be accurately coded to prevent duplication. The presence of identical inquiries for certain entities reflects improper coding and inaccurate reporting practices. 
Proper Purpose Documentation : Every inquiry on a credit report must be substantiated with appropriate documentation and a specific purpose. If the inquiries do not meet these standards, they should be immediately removed. 
3. Violations of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) Regulations CFPB regulations mandate that credit reporting agencies avoid misleading and harmful practices that compromise the accuracy of a consumers credit profile. The continued presence of these duplicate, unverifiable, or unauthorized inquiries misrepresents my credit activity, which can harm my financial reputation. 

Actions Requested To resolve these issues without litigation, I am requesting the following : Immediate Removal of All Unverifiable, Unauthorized, or Duplicate Inquiries : Please remove all entries that can not be substantiated with my authorization or supporting documentation. 
Written Confirmation of Removal : Provide written confirmation of the removal of each unauthorized inquiry, or documentation verifying each inquirys purpose and authorization. 
{$1000.00} per Violation in Damages : I am requesting {$1000.00} per FCRA, CFPB, and Metro 2 compliance violation, as permitted under relevant statutes and case law, due to the repeated harm caused by these inaccuracies. 
Deadline for Resolution If these actions are not completed within 30 days of receiving this letter, I am prepared to initiate a lawsuit to seek full statutory, actual, and punitive damages under FCRA, CFPB, and Metro 2 guidelines, along with supporting case law.

Conclusion This notice provides one final opportunity to correct these compliance failures. Failure to address these issues within the specified timeframe will result in formal litigation to enforce corrective measures and recover damages. 

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation