Consumer complaint received 2025-10-26 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt was result of identity theft
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: TN

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Formal Complaint Failure to Validate and Continued Furnishing of Inaccurate XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) To : Consumer Financial Protection Bureau XXXX CFPB ) Consumer Complaint Intake From : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX Complaint Summary : This complaint concerns the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX for continued furnishing of inaccurate credit information to national consumer reporting agencies specifically Equifax, XXXX, and XXXX despite my formal written notice of dispute and demand for validation issued on XX/XX/year>. 

XXXX has failed to provide any lawful or verifiable proof of claim establishing that the alleged child-support debt belongs to me or that it was authorized for credit reporting under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), 15 U.S.C. 1681 et seq., and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ), 15 U.S.C. 1692 et seq. 

Background Facts : XXXX. On XX/XX/year>, I mailed a formal Notice of Dispute and Demand for Validation and Proof of Claim to the reporting parties. 

The notice was sent to Equifax regarding the tradeline furnished by XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX. 

The notice cited specific federal provisions including 15 U.S.C. 1692g ( b ) and 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) requiring validation of disputed debts and accuracy in furnishing. 



XXXX. My validation notice included a detailed Creditor/Debt Collector Declaration and Proof of Claim section requiring the furnisher to produce : The original signed agreement or order establishing the obligation ; Accounting records or general ledger showing the alleged balance ; Verification of authorization from the State of Tennessee or federal agency permitting XXXX  to furnish this data to private credit bureaus ; and Proof that XXXX is the current holder or lawful assignee of any claim being reported. 



XXXX. XXXX and the credit bureaus failed to produce any documentation meeting these validation requirements within the statutory thirty-day window. 


XXXX. Despite lack of validation, Equifax and XXXX continue to publish the tradeline as verified and belongs to you, in direct conflict with FCRA 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ( reinvestigation duties ) and 1681s-2 ( b ) ( duty of furnishers to investigate ).

Legal Basis and Analysis : A. Violation of FDCPA 809 ( b ), 15 U.S.C. 1692g ( b ) : A furnisher or collector must cease collection activity after receiving written dispute until verification is provided. XXXX continued furnishing to credit bureaus without validation constitutes continued collection activity through data reporting, which courts recognize as a collection method under the FDCPA. 

B. Violation of FCRA 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) and 1681s-2 ( b ) : XXXX, as the furnisher, is prohibited from reporting information it knows or should know is inaccurate. After receipt of my written dispute, it was legally required to investigate and correct or delete the tradeline within the reasonable-time framework prescribed by 1681i. Instead, it affirmed verified without producing evidence of jurisdiction, paternity testing, or a lawful child-support order. 

XXXX Violation of Federal Privacy Protections : No written authorization was ever given to XXXX or the credit bureaus to publish or furnish my personal information for credit purposes. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681b ( a ) ( 2 ), consumer information may only be furnished with the consumers written instructions or for a permissible statutory purpose, which does not include child-support obligations absent a judicial debt classification. 

XXXX Possible Mail or Wire Misrepresentation ( 18 U.S.C. 1341 ) : By continuing to circulate false and unverifiable information across interstate credit systems after receipt of a dispute and validation demand, XXXX and its reporting agents are engaging in the use of interstate communications in a scheme that misrepresents the nature and validity of the alleged debt. 

Evidence Attached : Copy of my XX/XX/year> Notice of Dispute and Demand for Validation and Proof of Claim. 

Correspondence from Equifax and XXXX stating verified as belonging to you. 

Screenshots of current credit-report entries showing ongoing publication of the disputed XXXX account. 


Requested Actions : XXXX. Require the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX to produce documentary proof of the obligation or immediately delete the tradeline. 


XXXX. Require the credit reporting agencies to remove or suppress the entry pending verifiable evidence. 


XXXX. Confirm whether XXXX has a furnisher registration or reporting agreement with Equifax, XXXX, or XXXX that authorizes such data transmissions. 


XXXX. Refer the matter for FCRA and FDCPA enforcement due to the knowing failure to validate, the continued publication of disputed data, and the violation of federal privacy statutes. 

Summary of Damages : As a direct result of these inaccurate and unauthorized reports : I have been denied credit and housing opportunities ; My score has been unfairly suppressed ; and My reputation and privacy have been compromised. 
Requested Remedy : Immediate deletion of the XXXX tradeline from all credit bureaus, issuance of written confirmation from each bureau, and consideration of civil penalties and restitution under 15 U.S.C. 1681n and 1681o for willful or negligent non-compliance. 

Respectfully submitted, XXXX XXXX XXXX / XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation