Consumer complaint received 2025-01-17 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Account information incorrect
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: LA

Complaint narrative:
Since XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  I have submitted multiple written disputes to Equifax, XXXX, and XXXX regarding inaccurate and unverifiable information on my credit reports. These credit bureaus failed to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), specifically violating Sections 611 ( a ), 623 ( a ), and 604, which require credit reporting agencies to : 1. Conduct reasonable investigations of consumer disputes.

2. Verify the accuracy of information furnished by creditors.

3. Ensure that only authorized hard inquiries are recorded. 

Despite my efforts, they failed to investigate properly or provide evidence to validate their reporting, which is a breach of their statutory obligations under the FCRA. 

Details of the Dispute 1. Inaccurate Account Reporting ( Violation of FCRA 611 ( a ) ) The following accounts report incorrect or unverifiable negative information : Department of Education Accounts : Multiple accounts incorrectly report late payments that do not exist on XXXX reports. I requested records validating these claims, but Equifax and XXXX failed to provide any evidence. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) : Reports inaccurate late payments. I requested proof of missed payments, which was not provided, despite their claim that the account is verified. 
XXXX XXXX : Reports an overdue balance of {$930.00} with missed payments. No documentation was provided to validate this balance or payment history. 
XXXX XXXX, XXXX : Incorrectly reported as 120 days past due despite a {$0.00} balance. 

These failures violate FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ), which requires credit bureaus to investigate disputes and delete inaccurate or unverifiable information. 

2. Unauthorized Hard Inquiries ( Violation of FCRA 604 ) The credit bureaus have reported multiple hard inquiries on my reports without my authorization, including : XXXX XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX ) XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX, multiple inquiries on the same day ) XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX ) Under FCRA 604 ( a ) ( 3 ), a consumer report may only be accessed for permissible purposes. I requested proof of authorization for these inquiries, but none was provided. Failing to remove unauthorized inquiries is a breach of this section. 

3. Failure to Conduct a Reasonable Investigation ( Violation of FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ) Each bureau responded to my disputes with generic statements such as verified by the furnisher but failed to : 1. Provide supporting documentation from the furnishers to validate the disputed items.

2. Reassess or remove unverifiable information.

Their responses demonstrate a failure to conduct reasonable investigations, as mandated by FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ), which requires a proper inquiry into disputes and deletion of unverifiable data. 

4. Furnishers Noncompliance ( Violation of FCRA 623 ( a ) ) The creditors reporting this inaccurate information ( e.g., Department of Education XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) also failed to : Ensure the accuracy of the information they furnished, as required by FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ). 
Provide the documentation I requested to validate their reporting. 

Actions Taken by Me I sent written dispute letters to each bureau, clearly identifying the inaccuracies and requesting validation. 
I requested that the bureaus provide documentation of their investigations, including records from the furnishers. 
Despite multiple follow-ups, the responses provided were inadequate and failed to comply with the FCRAs requirements. 

I requested that the credit bureaus provide contracts or proof to validate the debt. However, their response merely stated that the debt was validated by the furnisher. This is insufficient as it does not provide the original contract, supporting documentation, or proof of the debt. The bureaus have failed to comply with my request for clear, verifiable evidence of the debt, which is essential for ensuring the accuracy of the information reported. I ask that they provide full documentation of the debt, including the original contract and any other necessary proof. 

Harm Caused The credit bureaus failure to address these disputes has significantly harmed my creditworthiness and financial stability by : Lowering my credit score due to the inaccurate reporting of late payments and unauthorized hard inquiries. 
Limiting my access to credit and increasing the cost of borrowing. 

Attached are dispute letters I sent to the bureaus, a response from Equifax and reference numbers to the other disputes with responses.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation