Consumer complaint received 2024-01-31 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Reporting company used your report improperly
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act 15 USC 1681 section 602 a, states " There is a need to ensure that consumer reporting agencies exercise their grave responsibilities with fairness, impartiality, and a respect for the consumers right to privacy. '' Equifax is a consumer reporting agency and I am the Consumer. I have the right to make sure my private information isn't shared, which is backed by 15 USC 6801 : " It is the policy of the Congress that each financial institution has an affirmative and continuing obligation to respect the privacy of its customers and to protect the security and confidentiality of those customers nonpublic personal information. '' XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX  XXXX are financial institutions by definition under that title. 15 USC 1681 section 604 a section 2 states that " In general Subject to subsection ( c ), any consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report under the following circumstances and no other : in accordance with the written instructions of the consumer to whom it relates. '' The financial institutions XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX and the Consumer reporting agency Equifax are in violation of my right to privacy and do not have my consent to furnish this information and they surely do not have my written consent. Any and all consent to Equifax, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX whether it be verbal, non-verbal, written, implied or otherwise is revoked. 15 USC 6802 ( b ) ( c ) states that " A financial institution may not disclose nonpublic personal information to a nonaffiliated third party unless the consumer is given an explanation of how the consumer can exercise that nondisclosure option. '' XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX never informed me of my right to exercise my nondisclosure option. Not only that, 15 USC 1681C ( a ) ( 5 ) states " Except as authorized under subsection ( b ), no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years. '' These accounts are adverse items they are reporting, again without my permission, which is against the law. 15 U.S. Code 1681s2 ( A ) ( 1 ) A states " A person shall not furnish any information relating to a consumer to any consumer reporting agency if the person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the information is inaccurate. 15 U.S. Code 1681e states '' Every consumer reporting agency shall maintain reasonable procedures designed to avoid violations of section 1681c of this title and to limit the furnishing of consumer reports to the purposes listed under section 1681b of this title. Equifax is not maintaining reasonable procedures. Also, 12 CFR 1016.7 states that " A consumer may exercise the right to opt-out at any time. '' I am opting out of their reporting services. 

Equifax has responded to my previous complaint and claims that they need more information from me to verify my credit report in their system. My attached report acquired directly from Equifax is indeed proof that I and my information is in Equifax 's system without my consent. No other verification should be required as they provided this information willingly. My complaint was that they should not have my information at all since they acquired it illegally according to the laws stated above. I never gave Equifax written consent to acquire my personal information from any of the banks or entities they have conversed with. They have provided no proof that I consented to them having my information in the first place. If they can not supply documents from each bank or entity from which they have acquired information that expresses my written consent and signature that they can have my information, then Equifax is in violation of the FCRA as they are considered a third-party non-affiliate with each company listed on the report I provided to the CFPB. 

The law states in 15 U.S. Code 1681n - Civil liability for willful noncompliance ( a ) In general Any person who willfully fails to comply with any requirement imposed under this subchapter with respect to any consumer is liable to that consumer in an amount equal to the sum of ( A ) any actual damages sustained by the consumer as a result of the failure or damages of not less than {$100.00} and not more than {$1000.00} ; or ( B ) in the case of liability of a natural person for obtaining a consumer report under false pretenses or knowingly without a permissible purpose, actual damages sustained by the consumer as a result of the failure or {$1000.00}, whichever is greater ; Equifax has obtained my, the consumer, information and transaction history, without a permissible purpose. I am entitled to {$1000.00} per each violation of the FCRA. 

Furthermore, Equifax has violated not only the Fair Credit Reporting Act but the Privacy Act of 1974.

Privacy Act of 1974 ( 5 U.S. Code 552a ) Important Definitions ( 4 ) the term record means any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, his education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and that contains his name, or the identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as a finger or voice print or a photograph ; This includes consumer reports ( b ) Conditions of Disclosure.No agency shall disclose any record which is contained in a system of records by any means of communication to any person, or to another agency, except pursuant to a written request by, or with the prior written consent of, the individual to whom the record pertains, unless disclosure of the record would be ( 12 ) to a consumer reporting agency in accordance with section 3711 ( e ) of title 31.

Again they need prior written instruction of the individual to whom it relates.

Section 3711 ( e ) of title 31 States ( 1 ) When trying to collect a claim of the Government under a law except the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 ( 26 U.S.C. 1 et seq. ), the head of an executive, judicial, or legislative agency shall disclose to a consumer reporting agency information from a system of records that a person is responsible for a claim if ( E ) the head of the agency has established procedures to ( iii ) get satisfactory assurances from each consumer reporting agency that the agency is complying with all laws of the United States related to providing consumer credit information ; I want to be paid {$1000.00} per each violation of the FCRA in order for me to consider this matter resolved.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief