Consumer complaint received 2025-03-17 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Information belongs to someone else
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NV

Complaint narrative:
I am writing to lodge a formal complaint against Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion regarding multiple fraudulent accounts, unauthorized credit inquiries, and inaccurate personal information appearing on my credit reports. These accounts and inquiries were opened or recorded without my knowledge or consent, indicating that I am a victim of identity theft. The presence of this false information has severely damaged my creditworthiness and caused me significant distress. Despite my efforts to correct the record, the credit bureaus have failed to uphold their obligations under federal and state law.I have exercised my rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) to dispute these inaccuracies, yet the bureaus have not corrected or removed the fraudulent information within the required time frame. Furthermore, I never received any debt validation notices for the fraudulent account ( s ) as required by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ). In short, the handling of my credit file by these agencies constitutes clear violations of consumer protection laws. Below, I detail the specific issues and violations, and I request the CFPBs assistance in enforcing compliance and remedying these problems. Violations Across All Bureaus Failure to Notify ( 15 U.S.C. 1692g ) : Creditors and debt collectors must provide written notice of a debt and the right to debt validation within five days of first reporting a new account or collection. No such notice was ever provided to me for the fraudulent account ( s ), rendering those accounts illegitimate and in violation of the FDCPAs validation requirements. Failure to Ensure Accuracy ( FCRA 607 ( b ) ) : Under the FCRA, credit reporting agencies are required to ensure maximum possible accuracy of information in consumer reports. In my case, there are obvious errors and inconsistencies ( e.g. incorrect personal data and account details ) across the three bureaus, indicating a failure to maintain reasonable procedures to assure accuracy. Failure to Investigate ( FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ) : Upon receiving a dispute from a consumer, credit bureaus must investigate the disputed information and respond within 30 days. I submitted disputes regarding the fraudulent accounts and inquiries on my reports, yet more than 30 days have passed without resolution or adequate response. This lack of prompt investigation violates the FCRAs dispute resolution timeline. Failure to Reinvestigate ( FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 6 ) ) : If a consumer notifies a credit bureau that a dispute has not been resolved satisfactorily, the bureau is obligated to reinvestigate. I communicated continued concerns and provided additional information indicating identity theft, but the bureaus failed to reinvestigate or provide the required notice of results, in violation of FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 6 ). Failure to Protect Personal Information ( Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, 15 U.S.C. 68016809 ) : The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires financial institutions ( including credit bureaus ) to safeguard consumers personal data. The occurrence of this identity theft and the unauthorized access/opening of accounts in my name suggest that my personal information was not adequately protected, a breach of the data security and privacy obligations under GLBA. Identity Theft Protections Ignored ( Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, 18 U.S.C. 1028 ) : Identity theft is a federal crime under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. The fraudulent accounts on my credit reports demonstrate that an identity theft incident occurred. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion failed to prevent or promptly address the fraudulent use of my identity, undermining the protections intended by this law and related identity theft regulations. Lack of Support for Identity Theft Victim ( FCRA, 15 U.S.C. 1681g ( e ) ) : Federal law ( FCRA/FACTA ) and FTC guidelines require credit bureaus to assist identity theft victims for example, by providing information about fraudulent accounts and enabling extended fraud alerts or credit freezes. In my case, the bureaus did not provide the required resources or support after I informed them of the identity theft ( such as providing me with copies of documents related to the fraudulent accounts or promptly placing fraud alerts ), violating 15 U.S.C. 1681g ( e ). Nevada State Law Violation ( XXXX XXXX ) : I reside in Nevada, where identity theft is a felony offense under XXXX XXXX. The fraudulent accounts and inquiries in my credit file stem from criminal identity theft. The credit bureaus continued reporting of information stemming from identity theft, despite being notified, effectively facilitates the ongoing consequences of that crime and disregards my rights under Nevada state law as an identity theft victim. Fraudulent Account Example : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Account One particularly egregious example is a fraudulent collection account reported by XXXX XXXX XXXX ( a debt collection agency ) on my credit reports : Account Details : XXXX XXXX XXXX ( Account Number XXXX ) appears as a charged-off collection account. I have no knowledge of this account and absolutely did not open or authorize it. The account information also contains discrepancies across the bureaus for instance, inconsistent payment status and open date further indicating that it is erroneous and unverified. Lack of Notification : I was never contacted by XXXX XXXX XXXX ( or any creditor ) about this debt. I did not receive any validation notice or debt letter within the 5-day period of it being reported ( or at all ), as required by FDCPA 1692g. This complete lack of notice confirms that the debt is not only fraudulent but was also reported in violation of law. Impact : This false collection account has negatively impacted my credit score and creditworthiness. It is unlawfully tarnishing my credit report and should have been removed immediately once I notified the bureaus of its fraudulent nature ( with a police report and identity theft affidavit as evidence ). The reporting of this account without proper validation or investigation violates the FCRA and FDCPA, as noted above. Unauthorized Credit Inquiries My credit reports also show a long list of hard credit inquiries that I never authorized. These inquiries were made by various companies likely as a result of thieves attempting to open accounts in my name. Each of these unauthorized inquiries can lower my credit score and was done without my permission : XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX hard inquiry not initiated by me. XXXX XXXX XXXX hard inquiry not initiated by me. XXXX XXXX hard inquiry not initiated by me. XXXX XXXX XXXX hard inquiry not initiated by me. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX hard inquiry not initiated by me. XXXX XXXX ( appearing as XXXX ) hard inquiry not initiated by me. XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX ( appearing as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX ) hard inquiries not initiated by me. XXXX  XXXX ( appearing as XXXX  and XXXX XXXX  ) hard inquiry not initiated by me. XXXX XXXX XXXX hard inquiry not initiated by me. XXXX XXXX hard inquiry not initiated by me. ... and others. ( There are additional inquiry entries on my reports that I do not recognize, all stemming from the period of the identity theft. ) All of the above inquiries were made without my consent. They are clear evidence of attempts to open fraudulent accounts using my identity. These inquiries should be removed from my credit reports immediately and should not be counted against my credit, given their unauthorized nature. Incorrect Names and Addresses on My Credit File In reviewing my credit reports, I also discovered personal identifying information that is incorrect and not associated with me. This likely resulted from the identity thiefs information being mFraudulentixed into my file. Specifically : Name : XXXX, XXXX, XXXX This garbled version of my name appears on my credit file. It is not a name I have ever used. ( My correct name is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Incorrect Addresses : The following addresses are listed on my credit reports, but I have never lived at or used any of these addresses : XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX These names and addresses have no connection to me and appear to belong to the perpetrator of the identity theft. Their presence on my credit file is further proof of mixed/fraudulent information. Maintaining these incorrect personal details violates the FCRAs accuracy requirements and greatly increases the risk of future confusion or fraud. They should have been removed once I notified the bureaus of the identity theft, yet they remain as of this filing.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief