Consumer complaint received 2025-04-04 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Was not notified of investigation status or results
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: MN

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/year>, I submitted a legally protected credit dispute through the Equifax XXXX XXXX dispute portal concerning a predatory tradeline reported by XXXX. I attached 25 supporting exhibits, which included : A legal inquiry email to the furnisher requesting debt validation under 15 U.S.C. 1692g Bank evidence showing unauthorized charges in violation of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1693e ) Screenshots showing a 31.66 % APR, {$300.00} annual fee, and XXXX ledger or breakdown XXXX  records showing XXXX unresolved complaints against XXXX An acknowledgment letter from the Missouri Attorney Generals Office confirming my complaint was accepted Within minutes of uploading these exhibits, I was forcibly locked out of my Equifax account. I received no dispute confirmation, no error notice, and no follow-up communication. I am uploading a screenshot showing the XXXX verification loop, which prevented me from re-entering the system entirely. This lockout occurred after I asserted my legal rights, which strongly suggests Equifaxs system flagged my case for suppression rather than review.

I was not attempting to view my credit reportI was submitting a federally protected dispute. There was no evidence of fraud or identity mismatch on my part, and I was not asked to verify my identity at the start of the dispute. Therefore, any claim by Equifax that this was for security or verification purposes would be false or pretextual. 

This violates the following provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) : 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) : Failure to conduct or permit a reasonable reinvestigation 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 2 ) ( B ) : Failure to notify the furnisher and include consumer-provided documentation 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 5 ) ( A ) : Failure to delete information not verified by the furnisher 15 U.S.C. 1681n : Civil liability for willful noncompliance with consumer protections 15 U.S.C. 1681o : Civil liability for negligent noncompliance 15 U.S.C. 1681g : Failure to provide access to information in the consumers file upon request Equifax failed to fulfill any of these duties. Instead, I was digitally exiled without due process, and my dispute was buried in silence. Only after I faxed a legal notice and filed an FTC complaint ( Report # XXXX ) did I regain access. Equifax never acknowledged my submission, my 25 exhibits, or the original dispute itself. 

This behavior is not only unlawful, it is authoritarian in functionit mirrors corporate censorship tactics that punish legal dissent rather than follow consumer protection law. Equifax operates as a federally regulated agency and has no right to suppress disputes based on volume, legal tone, or investigatory complexity. 

I am requesting the CFPB : Conduct a formal audit of Equifaxs dispute review and suppression systems Require Equifax to confirm in writing whether my exhibits were reviewed or discarded Place a public compliance flag on Equifax for interfering with federally protected dispute rights Consider fines or enforcement under FCRA 1681n and 1681o if willful or negligent suppression is confirmed No credit bureau should be allowed to manipulate visibility, access, or dispute outcomes for consumers acting in good faithespecially those using legal documentation to protect themselves from fraudulent or predatory accounts.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief