Consumer complaint received 2025-03-02 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: OH

Complaint narrative:
On or around XX/XX/year>, I discovered a XXXX XXXX XXXX account inaccurately reported on my TransUnion and Equifax credit file with a Pay Status of Charged Off/Collection, indicated as Monthly for 36 months, and a Date Closed and Last Payment Date of XX/XX/year>. I immediately recognized this as fraudulent because I never opened, authorized, or benefited from such an account. This constitutes both a breach of privacysince my information was used without my consentand an inaccuracy under the FCRA. 

Despite having provided a formal identity theft report ( pursuant to FCRA 605B, 15 U.S.C. 1681c-2 ), the creditor has submitted false or fabricated documentation to verify this fraudulent account. This action is a direct violation of FCRA 623 ( 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ), which obligates data furnishers to report only accurate and verifiable information. By knowingly providing false verification, the creditor continues to misrepresent the legitimacy of an identity-theft account and must immediately delete or correct the erroneous tradeline.

I did not authorize, open, or benefit from this account. 

It appears that my personal information was used without my consent, constituting a breach of privacy under 15 U.S.C. 1681b ( FCRA 604 ), which delineates permissible purposes for obtaining and reporting credit information. Upon learning of this fraudulent account, I promptly filed an identity theft report and notified both TransUnion/Equifax and the furnisher, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

Violation of the FCRA Failure to Perform a Reasonable Reinvestigation ( FCRA 611 ; 15 U.S.C. 1681i ) TransUnion and Equifax are required to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation of disputed information. Despite my formal dispute, TransUnion continued reporting this charge-off/collection without confirming that the account actually belongs to me. This violates 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ), which mandates a thorough and timely investigation of disputed items.

Failure to Block Fraudulent Information ( FCRA 605B ; 15 U.S.C. 1681c-2 ) Under FCRA 605B, once a consumer provides an identity theft report, the consumer reporting agency must block the fraudulent information within four business days. I supplied the necessary documentation, yet TransUnion has not removed or blocked the XXXX XXXX XXXX account in the legally mandated timeframe. 

Breach of Privacy ( FCRA 604 ; 15 U.S.C. 1681b ) Only specific permissible purposes exist for accessing and reporting a consumers credit information. Reporting an account obtained through identity theft is a clear violation of these permissible purposes. TransUnions continued reporting of this fraudulent account constitutes an ongoing breach of privacy under 15 U.S.C. 1681b.

Reporting Unverified Information from the Furnisher ( FCRA 623 ; 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( b ) ) XXXX XXXX XXXX, as a furnisher of data, must investigate disputed information and correct or delete any information it can not verify. By confirming an account that does not belong to me, the furnisher has violated 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( b ), and TransUnion, by extension, is failing to ensure the accuracy of reported information under FCRA 611 . 
Violation of the FDCPA Failure to Validate Debt ( FDCPA XXXX ( b ) ; XXXX U.S.C. XXXX ( b ) ) Even though this violation primarily applies to debt XXXX, TransUnion relies on data from the furnisher. If a consumer disputes a debt in writing, the collector must validate it. The presence of unvalidated or fraudulent debt on my credit report underscores that TransUnion is receiving and reporting improperly validated information. 
False or Misleading Representations ( FDCPA 807 ; 15 U.S.C. 1692e ) By continuing to report a false debt, XXXX XXXX XXXX and any acting debt collector are effectively engaging in misleading collection activities. While the FDCPA holds collectors accountable, TransUnionby relying on those misrepresentationscontributes to the dissemination of inaccurate information. 

False and Fraudulent Verification by the Creditor Despite receiving my identity theft report and related documentation, XXXX XXXX XXXX falsely verified this account as accurate. This is especially egregious given the obligations under FCRA 623 ( b ), which requires creditors to thoroughly investigate disputes and update or remove erroneous information. By reporting this fraudulent account as verified, XXXX XXXX XXXX violates the statute, and TransUnions continued reliance on this false verification deepens the FCRA breach.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation