Consumer complaint received 2025-09-06 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: NY

Complaint narrative:
Equifax has engaged in repeated violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) by refusing to provide a Method of Verification ( MOV ), launching unauthorized and fraudulent disputes without my consent, misusing my personal identifying information ( PII ), and reporting an account through a furnisher ( XXXX ) that no longer owns the account. 



Detailed Timeline and Facts : XX/XX/XXXX I filed a dispute with Equifax regarding a XXXX tradeline. Equifax marked the account as verified the same day, within less than XXXX hours. This turnaround is implausible for a reasonable reinvestigation. 
XX/XX/XXXX I sent Equifax a certified Method of Verification ( MOV ) request, asking for details on how the dispute was verified. I filed any first complaint via CFPB on XX/XX/XXXX, as Equifax launched an unauthorized disputes instead of providing the MOV. To be clear - from this point forward via CFPB- I have advised numerous times that I was simply requesting an MOV for my authorized XXXX dispute. If the investigation was complete in less than XXXX hours - the MOV should be readily available. 
In addition to the above, Instead of providing the MOV, Equifax launched unauthorized disputes in my name on XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX. I did not authorize any of these disputes. XXXX XXXX - these disputes have been labeled as fraud something I never claimed. 
I repeatedly advised Equifax via CFPB complaints that I was not authorizing disputes, that I was requesting an MOV, and that XXXX no longer owned the account. 
XX/XX/XXXX XXXX sold the account. This was confirmed in writing ( letter dated XX/XX/XXXX ). Yet- Equifax launched disputes even after the account was sold - without my consent. 
XX/XX/XXXX Equifax sent me two contradictory letters the same day : One letter stated my dispute was frivolous and closed. 
Another letter requested additional identifying information to continue investigating. 
XX/XX/XXXX Despite having sold the account weeks earlier, XXXX purported to verify the account with Equifax for a fraud dispute I never consented to. XXXX was not the legal owner at this time and had no authority to verify the tradeline. 
XX/XX/XXXX Equifax launched yet another unauthorized dispute, even after being explicitly advised through CFPB complaints to stop launching disputes without my consent. Not only have I asked Equifax to stop - I have made it very clear via CFPB complaints that XXXX advised they do not own the account. 
Equifax has repeatedly mislabeled the disputes theyre submitting as fraud disputes, even though I have never claimed fraud. 
Equifax misused my government ID and 1099 form, which I submitted only for identity verification. Instead of limiting use of these documents, Equifax used them to : Launch unauthorized disputes, Remove my residential address and leave only a XXXX XXXXXXXX, and Avoid providing the MOV that I lawfully requested. 
Equifaxs letters demand only a very narrow set of documents ( SSN card, W-2, 1099 ), while their own public website lists a broader and less burdensome list of acceptable documents ( e.g., passport, birth certificate, utility bill ). This is deceptive and misleading to consumers. 



Violations Identified : FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 6 ) - ( 7 ) Failure to provide a Method of Verification after certified request.

FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) - ( 3 ) Failure to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation and improper use of frivolous designation.

FCRA 607 ( b ) Failure to assure maximum possible accuracy ( removal of residential address, continued reporting of a sold account ).

FCRA 604 ( a ) Impermissible use of consumer information ( using my ID and 1099 to launch unauthorized disputes ).

Deceptive Practices Contradictory letters and misleading documentation requirements.

In Violations Identified section : Spoliation of dispute history By launching unauthorized disputes and misclassifying my accuracy dispute as fraud, Equifax effectively buried and distorted my original MOV request. This amounts to spoliation, obstructing the clear record of my dispute history and preventing meaningful review.

If Equifax found my ID and 1099 sufficient to launch ten unauthorized disputes and even remove my residential address, why were these same documents suddenly insufficient when I requested the Method of Verification for their less-than-24-hour investigation on XX/XX/XXXX? I am still awaiting the answer to this question. 

Please note - All documents have been attached to 10+ complaints supporting my statements and I will attach what applies again.

I am formally requesting an audit of my credit file activity. If Equifax had no difficulty using my ID and 1099 to launch unauthorized disputes and remove my residential address, then they should have no difficulty producing the full logs of their less-than-24-hour investigation from XX/XX/XXXX, and every dispute they launched thereafter.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation