Consumer complaint received 2025-11-13 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: GA

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint because both Equifax and TransUnion have repeatedly reinserted unauthorized hard inquiries into my credit reports after these same inquiries were already deleted through prior CFPB investigations. This is not a simple mistake. It is a pattern of misconduct that violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act in several ways and has caused me ongoing financial and emotional harm. 

I have already proven in CFPB cases XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX that multiple inquiries on my file had no permissible purpose and no consumer authorization. After those investigations, the bureaus removed the inquiries because the furnishers could not produce any signed application or proof that I initiated a credit transaction. Now the exact same inquiries have reappeared on my files without any written notice and without any certification from the furnishers. This directly violates FCRA section 611 a 5 B which clearly states that deleted information can not be reinserted unless the furnisher certifies its accuracy and the consumer receives advance written notice. I received no notice and no certification from any party. 

Equifax has reinserted inquiries from XXXX XXXX of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX even though these same inquiries were deleted after my previous CFPB case confirmed there was no authorization for any of them. The report on page XXXX of the Equifax inquiry file clearly shows that the XXXX XXXX inquiry dated XXXX XXXX 2024 was already removed during the earlier CFPB investigation yet it has been added back without any notice to me filecite XXXX. 

TransUnion has done the same thing by re inserting unauthorized inquiries from XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX. Page XXXX of the TransUnion file shows that the XXXX Bank inquiry dated XXXX XXXX XXXX  was previously removed through a CFPB case but is now displayed again without any verification or consumer notice filecite XXXX. 

As a confirmed victim of the Equifax data breach my personal information has already been compromised and these bureaus have a heightened duty to ensure maximum possible accuracy and stronger verification before allowing access to my file. Instead my data is being mishandled and reused without my permission which exposes me to an even greater risk of identity misuse and financial loss. 

Under FCRA section 1681b a consumer reporting agency can not furnish a report unless the consumer has provided written instructions or unless the inquiry is tied to a lawful transaction I personally initiated. None of these furnishers have provided any documentation of a signed application timestamped consent or legitimate credit transaction. The bureaus have ignored this requirement and have repeatedly reintroduced data that they already found to be unsupported. 

This unauthorized reinsertion has caused me measurable harm including credit score drops lost opportunities and emotional distress from knowing that my personal information is being accessed without my consent despite prior deletion orders. I have spent months trying to correct the same violations caused by the same inquiries that continue reappearing. This demonstrates willful disregard for my rights under FCRA sections 1681n and 1681o.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation