Consumer complaint received 2025-03-11 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: Nelnet, Inc.
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Formal Complaint and Allegation of Aggravated Identity Theft by Nelnet I am writing to file a formal complaint and provide additional information regarding Nelnets response to my previous inquiry. I am alleging that Nelnet has committed Aggravated Identity Theft as defined under 18 U.S.C. 1028A due to their unlawful reporting of student loan accounts to the credit bureaus without my knowledge, consent, or authorization. 

Summary of the Situation : In my prior correspondence with Nelnet and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ), I made clear that I have no contract or agreement with Nelnet, nor did I consent to any student loans being issued in my name. Despite this, Nelnet continues to report these unauthorized accounts to the credit bureaus, causing significant damage to my credit report and violating my rights. 

Nelnet 's Response : In their response, Nelnet acknowledges that they service federal student loans on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education ( ED ). However, their response fails to address the core issue : Nelnet has not provided any documentation proving my consent to these loans. They have also not provided evidence that I entered into any agreement or contract with Nelnet or the Department of Education ( ED ) authorizing the creation or reporting of these accounts. 

Furthermore, Nelnet refers to their role as a " data furnisher '' under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), yet this does not provide a legal basis for the reporting of fraudulent accounts. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681b, a party is only permitted to report information to credit bureaus if there is a permissible purpose. As I have no agreement with Nelnet and the U.S. Department of Education can not assign permissible purpose to a third party, Nelnet 's actions constitute an unlawful disclosure of my personal financial information, in violation of both the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ). 

Aggravated Identity Theft ( 18 U.S.C. 1028A ) : The unauthorized use of my personal information by Nelnet is not only a violation of my rights but also constitutes Aggravated Identity Theft as per 18 U.S.C. 1028A, given that my identity has been used without my consent to create federal student loan accounts. Nelnets refusal to provide documentation of my authorization or consent for these accounts, coupled with their continued reporting of this inaccurate information, directly links to identity theft. 

My Demands : Nelnet must immediately cease all reporting of these unauthorized accounts to credit bureaus and remove the accounts from my credit report. 
Nelnet must provide verifiable evidence that I consented to the creation of these loans or entered into any agreement with Nelnet or the Department of Education that would allow them to report these loans. 
If Nelnet can not provide the requested documentation, I demand they acknowledge the accounts as unauthorized and take steps to rectify this matter immediately. 
Given the nature of the identity theft, I request that Nelnet 's actions be further investigated for potential criminal liability under

18 U.S.C. 1028A. If these demands are not addressed promptly, I will pursue all available legal remedies, including filing complaints with the Attorney Generals Office an
d continuing to seek redress through legal channels.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt action in resolving this issue.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation