Consumer complaint received 2025-08-18 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Investigation took more than 30 days
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX Date : XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, TX XXXX RE : Formal Notice of Ongoing Violations Failure to Provide Complete Debt Verification Creditor : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Credence Reference ID : XXXX This letter serves as formal notice that Credence Resource Management, LLC is in violation of federal consumer protection laws by failing to provide the required debt verification documents in response to my prior demand dated XX/XX/XXXX. You had well over XXXX  days to complymore than XXXX  days total when accounting for your late responses dated XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX you still failed to produce the legally required materials. 
Providing only XXXX months of bills without the full account history and without the complete account number is not lawful verification. Further, your records tie this account to an Oklahoma address that is not mine. I reside in California, and no XXXX XXXX were ever provided to my residence. This establishes that the account being reported is fraudulent. 
Failure to provide the required debt verification documents places your agency in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ), 15 U.S.C. 1692g ( b ), and the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ), 1681s-2, and 1681e ( b ). Furthermore, this conduct constitutes 15 U.S.C. 1681n willful non-compliance, which carries significant damage under civil lawsuit by legal jeopardy, including statutory damages, attorneys fees, and class action exposure, as well as violations of 15 U.S.C. 1692k Sections 3 and 5, which prohibit deceptive misrepresentation and bad-faith collection practices. 
In addition, you failed to comply with Regulation F ( XXXX C.F.R. Part XXXX ), which requires a debt collector to send a validation notice and allow XXXX ( XXXX ) business days before furnishing information to any credit reporting agency. Instead, this debt was reported before proper notice and was sent to the Oklahoma address that does not belong to me. I responded within XXXX days of discovering the reporting. The accounts closure date of XX/XX/XXXX also falls within the timeframe in which accurate reporting standards tied to COVID-era relief remained in effect ( XXXX XXXX context ), further underscoring your duties to report only accurate, fully verified information. 
Required XXXX XXXX Items ( Not Provided ) : XXXX. Complete account number ( unredacted ). XXXX. Full itemization from the first bill to the last month, including all fees, late charges, penalties, and any add-ons after debt purchase. XXXX. Signed contract or service agreement with XXXX XXXX. XXXX. 
Proof of assignment/chain of title from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX. Current authorization/license to collect debts in the XXXX of California. XXXX. All monthly billing statementsnot merely XXXX months. 
Notice to the XXXX XXXX XXXX A copy of this letter will be sent to TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. These reporting agencies are hereby placed on notice that they are reporting unverified information in violation of the FCRA. Case law confirms that failure to conduct a proper reinvestigation and correct or delete inaccurate data exposes reporting agencies to liability ( see XXXX XXXX Trans Union XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX Cir. XXXX ) ) .Violations of XXXX and XXXX XXXX - FDCPA XXXX XXXX. XXXX ( b ) : Must cease collection activity, including reporting, until verification is provided. ( XXXX v. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX Cir. XXXX ). ) - FDCPA XXXX XXXX. XXXX : Prohibits false or misleading representations regarding the status of a debt. ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX. XXXX ). ) - FCRA XXXX XXXX. XXXX ( a ) & XXXX ( b ) : Requires reasonable reinvestigation and correction/deletion of unverified information. ( XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX Cir. XXXX ). ) - FCRA XXXX XXXX. XXXX : Civil liability for willful non-compliance ( statutory, actual, and punitive damages ). - Regulation F ( XXXX C.F.R. Part XXXX ) : Requires a validation notice and a XXXX window before furnishing to a credit reporting agency. 
DEMANDED OUTCOME Failure to comply will result in immediate complaints to the CFPB, FTC, and California Attorney General, as well as civil litigation under the laws cited above. This demanded relief applies not only to XXXX XXXX XXXX as a collection agency, but also to the original creditor, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and all three credit reporting agenciesTransUnion, Equifax, and Experianas they are actively reporting this fraudulent account. 
This is your final opportunity to comply with federal law. The DEMANDED OUTCOME is clear : reporting unverified information to the credit reporting agencies must cease immediately, and this account must be REMOVE AND DELETE. 
XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation