Consumer complaint received 2025-11-21 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
Issue : Numerous hard inquiries pulled by third-party lenders and lead-generation companies without explicit consumer authorization or valid permissible purpose, violating FCRA, FCPA, and state law.

Statute : 15 U.S.C. 1681a ( b ) ( FCRA definition of permissible purpose ), 15 U.S.C. 1681b ( a ) ( FCRA inquiry requirements ), 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) ( FCRA reasonable procedures for furnishing accurate inquiries ), 16 CFR 1022.2 ( FTC Safeguards Rule ), FTC Act 5 ( unfair/deceptive practices ), State Privacy Laws ( FIPA, FCPA, state consumer protection acts ) Experian Inquiries Demand for Removal of Unauthorized Hard Inquiries I am filing a complaint regarding unauthorized hard inquiries on my Experian credit report dated XX/XX/XXXX. These inquiries were pulled by credit-granting entities without my explicit authorization and for no valid permissible purpose, violating FCRA and state law. 

Unauthorized Experian Inquiries : XXXX XXXX XXXX  ( XX/XX/XXXX ) I did not apply for a XXXX XXXX credit product ; this inquiry was made without authorization. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX  ( XX/XX/XXXX ) A second unauthorized XXXX  XXXX inquiry, XXXX weeks after the first, suggesting possible prescreening or lead-generation activity without consent. 

Regulatory Violations : XXXX. FCRA 1681b ( a ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1681b ( a ) ) Permissible Purpose Requirement : A consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report only in response to a request for a permissible purpose, which includes : ( A ) a credit transaction initiated by the consumer, or ( B ) a business transaction initiated by the consumer. Each hard inquiry on my Experian file must be supported by either : ( XXXX ) my written authorization requesting credit, or ( XXXX ) a credit transaction I initiated. [ XXXX ] XXXX XXXX 's XXXX inquiries in XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX do not correspond to any application, account opening, or transaction I initiated. Therefore, XXXX XXXX had no permissible purpose to access my credit file, and Experian violated 1681b ( a ) by furnishing my report to an unauthorized party. 

XXXX. FCRA 1681e ( b ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) ) Reasonable Procedures : Experian must implement and follow reasonable procedures to ensure the accuracy and propriety of inquiries reported. The presence of XXXX identical inquiries from the same party ( XXXX XXXX ) within XXXX weekswithout corresponding applications or consumer-initiated transactionssuggests that Experian failed XXXX verify the permissible purpose before reporting the inquiries. [ XXXX ] Experian should have required XXXX XXXX to document my authorization and the underlying transaction before reporting the inquiry. Failure to do so violates FCRA 1681e ( b ) reasonable procedures standard. 

XXXX. FCRA 1681a ( b ) Definition of " Permissible Purpose '' : The FCRA strictly limits inquiry purposes to legitimate credit transactions. Prescreening, lead-generation offers, or inquiries without consumer authorization are not permissible purposes. If XXXX XXXX pulled inquiries based on lead lists, pre-approved offers, or any mechanism other than my direct application, those inquiries are unlawful. 

XXXX. 16 CFR 1022.2 FTC Safeguards Rule : CRAs and furnishers must have safeguards to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and proper use of consumer information. Reporting inquiries without verification of permissible purpose is a failure of safeguards. 

XXXX. FTC Act 5 Unfair & Deceptive Practices : Allowing inquiries to remain on a consumer 's credit file without permission or valid purpose is an unfair practice under FTC Act 5. Inquiries negatively impact credit scores and can be seen by future creditors, creating a false impression of credit-seeking behavior. 

XXXX. State Privacy Laws ( e.g., FIPA, FCPA, state consumer protection acts ) : Many states prohibit unauthorized access to personal information without explicit consent. Furnishing an inquiry without the consumer 's authorization may violate state privacy statutes.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation