Consumer complaint received 2025-02-27 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Information belongs to someone else
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this formal complaint against Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian for their repeated, systemic violations of my consumer rights. These credit reporting agencies have reported fraudulent accounts, unauthorized inquiries, and gross inaccuraciesincluding inconsistent open dates, mismatched account numbers, and contradictory payment historiesacross my credit file. Despite my dispute letters dated XX/XX/year>, none of the agencies have taken appropriate corrective action. I now seek immediate CFPB intervention to compel these agencies to expunge these fraudulent entries and to enforce robust compliance with every applicable law and industry standard, including Metro 2 reporting guidelines.

I. Background and Overview Without my knowledge or consent, the following four accounts have been reported on my credit file. Not only do they contain significant discrepancies, but they also flagrantly violate multiple provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) and other consumer protection statutes : XXXX Account Number : XXXX Issues : Charged-off status ; inconsistent reporting of open dates and payment statuses across bureaus ; failure to provide required debt validation and notification. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX Account Number : XXXX Issues : Collection account with varying open dates and balance discrepancies ; improper handling of dispute and validation protocols. 
XXXX XXXX ( Entry One High Credit Amount Discrepancies ) Account Number : XXXX Issues : Reported with conflicting high credit limits and open dates that differ across credit reports, demonstrating an inability to maintain data accuracy. 
XXXX XXXX ( Entry Two Monthly Payment Discrepancies ) Account Number : XXXX Issues : Duplicate entry with monthly payment inconsistencies and differing open dates, further evidencing a breach of standard reporting practices. 
In addition, unauthorized credit inquiries from various entities ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX further compound these violations. 

Enclosed Exhibits 25 provide supporting evidence of these discrepancies and errors.

II. Detailed Account Discrepancies and Additional Violations Inconsistencies in Open Dates and Account Numbers : The reported open dates for the XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX accounts vary significantly between Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Such discrepancies not only violate the FCRAs mandate for maximum accuracy ( FCRA 607 ( b ) ; 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) ) but also contravene Metro 2 compliance guidelines, which require uniformity and standardization in data reporting. 
The XXXX XXXX account appears twice with the same truncated account number ( XXXX ) but conflicting details regarding monthly payments and open dates. This dual reporting creates confusion and directly impacts my creditworthiness. 
Failure to Validate and Notify : Under 15 U.S.C. 1692g, creditors are required to send written notification of debt validation within five days. None of the disputed accounts were validated according to this statutory requirement.

The credit bureaus have not conducted proper investigations as mandated by FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) and have failed to reinvestigate disputes per FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 6 ).

Data Inaccuracy and Metro 2 Noncompliance : The credit reporting agencies have failed to adhere to Metro 2 format standardsguidelines designed by the Consumer Data Industry Association for uniform data reportingwhich is evidenced by the significant discrepancies in account open dates, account numbers, and payment histories. 
Such noncompliance indicates systemic failures in maintaining data accuracy and proper dispute resolution protocols, further infringing upon my rights as a consumer. 
Unauthorized Credit Inquiries and Incorrect Personal Information : Multiple unauthorized credit inquiries have been recorded without my consent, violating both FCRA requirements and FTC guidelines under 15 U.S.C. 1681g ( e ). 
The inclusion of incorrect names and addresses on my file ( e.g., XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  further constitutes a failure to ensure data integrity. 
III. Legal Violations and Applicable Statutory Provisions The actions and omissions in my credit reporting file violate numerous consumer protection laws, including but not limited to : Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) ( Duty to provide accurate and complete information ) 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( Requirements for investigation of disputes ) 15 U.S.C. 1681n and 15 U.S.C. 1681o ( Civil liability for willful noncompliance and damages ) FCRA 607 ( b ) ( Mandate for maximum possible accuracy ) FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) and 611 ( a ) ( 6 ) ( Timely investigation and reinvestigation of disputes ) Debt Collection Practices : 15 U.S.C. 1692g ( Requirement for prompt debt validation and notification ) Consumer Data Protection : Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ( 15 U.S.C. 6801-6809 ) ( Obligation to safeguard consumer data ) Identity Theft Protections : Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act ( 18 U.S.C. 1028 ) ( Criminalization of identity theft and fraudulent account creation ) State Law Violations : Illinois Law ( 720 ILCS 5/16-30 ) ( Enhanced protections and penalties for identity theft and misuse of personal information ) Metro 2 Reporting Guidelines : Although voluntary, these industry standards are designed to ensure data accuracy and consistency. The failure to comply with these guidelines further underscores the credit bureaus systemic negligence.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation