Consumer complaint received 2025-12-01 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: FL

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this complaint because my credit file contains several negative items, including late payments, charge-offs, collections, and derogatory accounts from multiple companies. Many of these late payments and negative entries are inaccurate, unverified, or associated with accounts that do not belong to me. I have already disputed these items with the credit bureaus, and I also filed an FTC Identity Theft Report because some of these accounts appear to be fraudulent or the result of unauthorized use of my information. Despite my attempts to resolve these issues, the negative entries remain, and the companies involved have not provided proper validation, documentation, or explanations. I am requesting CFPB assistance because the disputed information is causing substantial harm to my credit standing and is preventing me from improving my financial situation. 

Below is a detailed explanation of what happened, including all late payments, all derogatory accounts, and the steps I took to resolve these issues. 

XXXX. Multiple Late Payments Reported That I Do Not Recognize or Agree With Several companies have reported late payments on my credit report, including XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX delinquencies. Some of these late payments are tied to accounts I do not recognize, while others have been inaccurately reported. I believe there may be identity theft, mixed credit file issues, or incorrect reporting practices involved. 

Late payments reported by furnishers include : Multiple XXXX late payments Multiple XXXX late payments Multiple XXXX late payments Late payment patterns that do not match my actual payment history Delinquencies tied to accounts I never opened These late payments are damaging my credit and do not accurately reflect my real payment behavior. Some of these accounts never belonged to me in the first place, and others have incorrect dates or durations. I disputed every XXXX of these late payments, but the bureaus either marked them as verified without providing documentation or simply left them unchanged. This has created long-term harm to my creditworthiness. 

XXXX. Several Derogatory Accounts That I Do Not Own or That Were Reported Incorrectly My credit file shows several derogatory accounts that I do not own. Some appear to be fraudulent, some may be identity theft, and others contain inaccurate information. These derogatory accounts include : Charge-offs Collections Past-due balances Closed accounts marked as negative Incorrect delinquency histories Duplicate negative entries from the same creditor The companies associated with these derogatory accounts have not provided validation, original contracts, billing histories, or any proof linking me to the accounts. Many of these accounts appeared with no prior communication, no mailed notices, and no opportunity to review or dispute them before they were reported. 

I attempted to contact the credit bureaus to resolve these inaccuracies, but the bureaus continue reporting these negative items without providing me with any evidence or documentation from the furnishers. This suggests that the disputes were processed using automated systems rather than through manual investigations. 

XXXX. Some Accounts Contain Extensive Late Payment History That I Can not Verify Several accounts show : Multiple XXXX late payments Multiple XXXX late payments Multiple XXXX late payments over several months Past-due amounts that do not match my records Repeated late notifications despite my disputes These late payment histories have severely damaged my credit score. In some cases, I was never notified of any supposed missed payments. In other cases, the company failed to send billing statements, late notices, or any documentation. 

Late payments recorded on my file include delinquency on accounts that : I never had Are not mine Were allegedly opened in locations where I have never lived Show balances and terms inconsistent with my financial history Do not match any contract I have ever signed For these reasons, the late payment records are inaccurate and must be corrected or removed. 

XXXX. Identity Theft and Fraud Evidence FTC Report Filed Because several negative items and late payments did not match my actual financial records or behavior, I filed an FTC Identity Theft Report. This report documents that : I never opened some of these accounts I never authorized certain credit applications Some accounts with late payment histories are fraudulent My identity may have been used without permission My credit file contains unauthorized and inaccurate information The filing of an FTC report means that the furnishers must : Conduct an enhanced fraud investigation Pause reporting until validation is complete Provide identity verification proof Block or delete fraudulent accounts Provide documentation supporting their claims Despite the FTC report, the furnishers have not provided any such documentation. 

XXXX. Failure of Furnishers to Validate Late Payments or Account Ownership Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, furnishers must provide : Proof of account ownership Proof of identity verification Documentation of all billing statements Evidence of delinquency Account histories showing payments Contracts signed by the consumer Notices sent prior to negative reporting However, I received none of these. 

Every creditor or collection agency either : ignored my request, claimed they verified the account without proof, or provided vague internal account summaries with no signatures, no contracts, and no authentication. 

No company provided the following : Identity verification at origination Audio recordings IP logs Authentication records Dealership or service center identity checks Consumer consent logs Original contracts Valid signatures matching my identity Without this evidence, the furnishers can not legally report late payments or negative data. 

XXXX. Late Payments Being Reported on Accounts I Never Received Bills For Many of the late payments and derogatory statuses appear on accounts for which : I never received billing statements I never received payment reminders I never received overdue notices I never received termination notices I never received pre-charge-off notices I never received any communication at all If I do not receive bills or notices, I can not possibly make timely payments. 

Furnishers are required to notify consumers before reporting late payments. This did not occur. 

XXXX. Mixed File or Unlawful Reporting Issues May Be Involved Because the late payments and derogatory accounts come from several unrelated companies, and because many of them do not match my financial history, it appears that I may be experiencing : Identity theft Mixed credit files Accounts belonging to someone with a similar name Incorrect mergers of credit files Inaccurate or outdated database reporting Clerical errors Automated system errors These problems often lead to multiple late payments and negative items being incorrectly attributed to the wrong person. This would explain why some accounts have extensive late payment histories that do not align with my own history. 

XXXX. Disputes Filed With the Credit Bureaus Were Not Properly Investigated After discovering the inaccuracies, I disputed every late payment and negative item. However, the credit bureaus : Marked my disputes as verified without proof Never sent me any documentation Did not provide explanation of verification methods Likely used automated systems to reject disputes Failed to conduct reasonable reinvestigations Did not consider my FTC Identity Theft Report Did not require the furnishers to submit actual documentation This violates FCRA XXXX, requiring a reasonable reinvestigation, not automated responses. 

XXXX. These Errors Are Causing Serious Financial Harm The inaccurate late payments, charge-offs, collections, and fraudulent accounts have : Lowered my credit score Increased my interest rates Prevented me from qualifying for important financial opportunities Damaged my credit reputation Caused emotional and financial distress Created barriers to stable housing and transportation Made it difficult to rebuild my financial stability The harm continues because the furnishers and bureaus refuse to correct the errors. 

XXXX. Summary of What Happened In summary : My credit report contains multiple late payments that I do not recognize Several derogatory accounts are fraudulent or inaccurate I filed an FTC Identity Theft Report Furnishers failed to validate any negative entries Late payment histories do not match my real financial activity Some accounts belong to someone else The bureaus verified disputes without documentation Automated systems were used instead of proper investigations The negative items are causing ongoing financial damage Because the late payments and derogatory items remain unverified, inaccurate, and not connected to any valid contract or billing relationship, I am requesting that the CFPB intervene to help correct these errors.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation