Consumer complaint received 2025-04-07 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: LA

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Formal Demand for Compliance with FCRA 605B - Failure to Properly Investigate Unauthorized Credit Inquiries To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally demand that Equifax comply with its obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), specifically Section 605B ( 15 U.S.C. 1681c-2 ), regarding my dispute of unauthorized credit inquiries on my Equifax credit report.

Failure to Investigate Unauthorized Inquiries as Required by Law On XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted a dispute regarding several fraudulent hard inquiries resulting from identity theft. Along with my dispute, I provided all legally required documentation, including : A copy of my FTC Identity Theft Report ( Report Number : XXXX ) A copy of my government-issued ID Proof of address via a recent utility bill Under FCRA Section 605B, Equifax is required to block fraudulent information from my credit report within four ( 4 ) business days of receiving a valid identity theft report. However, Equifax has failed to comply with this legal requirement. 
Equifax 's Contradictory and Non-Compliant Response In your response dated XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX you stated : " We are, however, contacting each company that provided the disputed information to verify the information on your behalf. We will also forward a copy of the documents you have provided to each creditor for their review. You should receive the results of this investigation, which may result in removal of the disputed information, within 30 days. '' However, in a second letter sent on the same day ( XX/XX/XXXX ), Equifax stated : " The results of the dispute you recently filed with Equifax are complete. INQUIRIES ARE A FACTUAL RECORD OF FILE ACCESS. SHOULD YOU HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THIS INQUIRY WAS UNAUTHORIZED, PLEASE CONTACT THE CREDITOR DIRECTLY AND FOLLOW THEIR INTERNAL FRAUD PROCEDURES. '' This contradiction makes it clear that Equifax did not conduct a proper investigation. The first letter states that Equifax would investigate the disputed inquiries, but the second letter indicates that no investigation was actually conducted-instead, Equifax shifted the burden onto me to resolve the matter with the creditors directly. Violations of FCRA Sections 605B & 611 This failure to properly investigate my dispute violates multiple provisions of the FCRA : 1. Violation of FCRA Section 605B ( 15 U.S.C. 1681c-2 )- Equifax is required to block fraudulent information from my report within four business days after receiving a valid identity theft report. Instead of complying, Equifax issued contradictory responses and refused to take action.

2. Violation of FCRA Section 611 ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i )- Equifax is required to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation of disputed information. Instead, Equifax summarily dismissed my dispute without performing any meaningful verification, relying on the claim that inquiries are a " factual record '' without confirming whether they were fraudulent. 

Formal Demand for Immediate Action I demand that Equifax immediately 1. Block and remove the following unauthorized credit inquiries from my credit report as required by FCRA 605B : XXXX XXXX - XX/XX/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. Provide written confirmation that these inquiries have been removed from my report. 

3. Explain in writing why Equifax failed to comply with FCRA 605B within the legally mandated timeframe. 

I expect an urgent response and full compliance with federal law. I look forward to your immediate action to resolve this matter properly. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 
XXXX, LA XXXX XXXX : XXXX SS # : XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation