Consumer complaint received 2025-07-27 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: CT

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint because Equifax has violated multiple provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) in connection with my dispute of a fraudulent hard inquiry on my credit report. 

I submitted a dispute to Equifax regarding an unauthorized hard inquiry. However, the dispute was closed after just XXXX day, with an automated message stating that factual information must remain on the report for XXXX years. There is no indication that any actual investigation was performed, as required under FCRA 1681i ( a ).

I then contacted the creditor who placed the inquiry. They confirmed that the application was fraudulent, that it had failed their verification process, and that it had expired without ever being fulfilled. I was specifically told by the creditor to dispute the inquiry with Equifax. 

I called Equifax on XX/XX/year> at XXXX PM, and remained on the phone for XXXX minutes. During the call : I explained the situation and provided the new evidence I requested that the dispute be reopened or reasserted I formally asked that a consumer statement of dispute be added to my credit file under FCRA 1681i ( b ) I also requested that Equifax provide the documentation or statement that the creditor had supposedly submitted in response to my original dispute Despite these reasonable requests : Equifax refused to reopen or reassert the dispute They failed to add a consumer statement of dispute to my credit file They provided no documentation or confirmation that the creditor was ever contacted, even though I explicitly asked for it A supervisor, after a long silence, intentionally disconnected the call without any explanation, cutting me off while I was still speaking I was not abusive or confrontational I calmly asserted my rights under the FCRA. The supervisors silence and deliberate disconnection of the call is evidence of a willful attempt to end the conversation without addressing my concerns. 

Additionally, the refusal to provide documentation from the creditor suggests that Equifax never contacted them at all, which would be a direct violation of FCRA 1681i ( a ) ( 2 ), which requires the credit bureau to forward the dispute to the furnisher and evaluate the response.

In summary, Equifax violated the following sections of the FCRA : 1681i ( a ) Failure to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation 1681i ( a ) ( 2 ) Failure to notify the furnisher and include relevant information 1681i ( b ) Failure to include a consumer statement of dispute upon request 1681c-2 Failure to block or remove fraudulent information 1681n and 1681o Willful and/or negligent noncompliance with the FCRA These actions have caused harm to my credit and denied me my legal rights to correct inaccurate information. I am being held responsible for an inquiry linked to a known fraudulent application, and Equifax is actively obstructing the correction process.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation