Consumer complaint received 2025-06-17 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Reporting company used your report improperly
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
I, XXXX XXXX, am filing a formal complaint against Equifax, a consumer credit reporting agency, for allowing multiple unauthorized hard inquiries on my credit report. I discovered several inquiries on my Equifax credit file that I did not initiate or authorize through any credit applications or consents. This means Equifax furnished my credit report to certain companies without a permissible purpose or my permission, which is a direct violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). Equifax failed in its duty to protect the privacy and accuracy of my credit information by not ensuring that each inquiry was legitimate and authorized, thereby compromising my rights as a consumer. 

Unauthorized Credit Inquiries Details The following hard inquiries appear on my Equifax credit report, even though I never applied for credit or services with these entities on the dates in question. I have no relationship with these companies, and I did not consent to any credit checks by them 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 XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX/XX/XXXX Credit Card Companies Each of the above inquiries was classified as a hard inquiry ( e.g. auto financing, bank, credit card, etc. ), which typically indicates a credit application or new account request. I affirm that I did not initiate any such credit applications with these businesses. The appearance of these inquiries on my report is unauthorized and unexplained from my perspective. 

Violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) Equifaxs actions ( or inaction ) in allowing these improper inquiries constitute clear violations of the FCRAs permissible purpose requirements. The FCRA strictly limits access to a consumers credit report only to those with a permissible purpose and with the consumers consent or initiation. Common permissible purposes include when a consumer applies for credit, insurance, employment, or a loan in other words, situations where the consumer initiates or agrees to the credit check. In this case, no such permissible purpose existed for the six inquiries listed above, since I had no knowledge of or dealings with these companies on those dates. 
Under FCRA Section 604 ( 15 U.S.C. 1681b ), a credit reporting agency may furnish a consumer report only for certain enumerated permissible purposes and no other. Equifax was obligated by law to verify that each request for my credit report was made for a legitimate, legal purpose ( such as a credit transaction I initiated ). Providing my credit information to entities with whom I had no interaction means Equifax did not ensure a permissible purpose existed, violating FCRA Section 604s core protections. In fact, the FCRA explicitly prohibits any person or company from obtaining a credit report on an individual without a permissible purpose. By furnishing my report in these instances, Equifax enabled parties to see my credit data illegitimately, infringing on my federal right to privacy in my financial information. 

Furthermore, FCRA Section 607 ( a ) mandates that credit reporting agencies like Equifax maintain reasonable procedures to avoid releasing credit reports except under those lawful permissible purposes. This means Equifax should have had systems in place to prevent unauthorized or suspicious inquiries from appearing on my file. The presence of multiple unauthorized inquiries over an extended period ( XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX ) indicates a systemic failure in Equifaxs procedures or oversight. Equifax either did not properly vet the inquiry requests or failed to detect that these requests lacked my consent. In either case, Equifax did not uphold its FCRA obligations to protect my data and limit access strictly to authorized parties. 

Each improper inquiry on my credit report is not only a privacy violation but also potentially a separate instance of Equifaxs non-compliance with the FCRAs permissible purpose provisions. The law views these violations seriously providing credit information to an unauthorized person can even incur legal penalties. ( For example, its noteworthy that the FCRA provides for criminal liability if a credit bureau willfully provides a credit file to someone without authorization, underscoring how wrongful such conduct is. ) While I am not alleging a criminal act in this complaint, I highlight this to emphasize the gravity of Equifaxs failure to safeguard my report. 

Impact on Me and Additional Concerns These unauthorized hard inquiries have caused tangible harm and distress to me as a consumer. First, the appearance of hard inquiries that I didnt initiate has likely damaged my credit score and creditworthiness. As documented by credit experts, each hard inquiry can temporarily lower a credit score by a few points, and multiple hard inquiries in a short period can compound the negative effect. In my case, seeing six inquiries that I did not authorize means my credit score has been unfairly penalized through no fault of my own. This could affect my ability to obtain credit or loan approvals and may result in less favorable terms from lenders, based on a falsely lowered score. 

Secondly, the pattern of these inquiries raises alarming concerns about potential identity theft or data misuse. Unauthorized inquiries often serve as a warning sign of fraud. For instance, criminals or unauthorized persons might be using a consumers personal information to shop for loans or credit in that persons name. In my case, I have observed that some of these inquiries were followed by accounts or activities on my credit report that I do not recognize or ever request. In other words, after certain inquiries ( for example, those on XX/XX/XXXX ), there appear to be new credit accounts or loan entries from those same companies that I never opened. This strongly suggests that someone may have fraudulently applied for credit using my identity, or that my personal data has been mishandled. 

If these inquiries are indeed linked to fraudulent accounts, it means my sensitive personal information was not only accessed without authorization but possibly used to open illicit accounts. This situation is extremely distressing and underscores a failure by Equifax to protect my consumer data. As the steward of my credit file, Equifax should detect and prevent unusual or multiple inquiries that deviate from my normal behavior especially those resulting in accounts I never knew about. By allowing these entries to persist, Equifax has put me at risk of further fraud and financial loss, and it has eroded my confidence in the security of the credit reporting system. 

Moreover, I have spent significant time and effort dealing with the fallout : monitoring my credit, contacting the entities listed, and experiencing anxiety over possible identity theft. The invasion of privacy and the emotional distress from knowing my credit report was accessed by unknown parties can not be overstated. The economic harm is also real, as my credit reputation has been unjustly tarnished. All of these consequences stem from Equifaxs failure to adhere to FCRAs requirements and to safeguard my data from unauthorized use.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief