Consumer complaint received 2025-10-15 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize
Company: General Motors Financial Company, Inc.
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
Complaint : Unauthorized hard inquiries placed on my credit report without consent deceptive practices by auto dealerships To the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, I am filing this formal complaint as an individual consumer, XXXX XXXX, regarding XXXX unauthorized hard credit inquiries that appeared on my credit reports on XX/XX/year>, and XX/XX/year>, stemming from deceptive and unlawful practices by XXXX auto dealerships and the subsequent failure of XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX  to remove them upon dispute. 
The unauthorized inquiries are as follows : XXXX XXXX XX/XX/year>XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XX/XX/year> GM Financial XX/XX/year> On these dates, I accompanied an associate, XXXX XXXX, owner of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, to test-drive vehicles intended for purchase under his business ; not in my personal capacity. I clearly stated to dealership personnel that I was not applying for vehicle financing and did not consent to a credit check. The dealerships assured me they only needed my drivers license to put on file because I would be test-driving the vehicles ; not to process any credit application. Despite this, they deceptively used my information to run hard inquiries without my knowledge or authorization. 
This constitutes a direct violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), 15 U.S.C. 1681b, which explicitly limits access to a consumers credit report to situations where there is a permissible purpose. A permissible purpose includes written or otherwise documented consent from the consumer ; which I never provided. The Federal Trade Commission has repeatedly affirmed that obtaining a consumer report without proper authorization is unlawful and may subject the party to civil liability under 15 U.S.C. 1681n ( willful noncompliance ) and 1681o ( negligent noncompliance ).

Furthermore, the dealerships actions may also constitute deceptive acts and practices in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act ( 15 U.S.C. 45 ), as they misrepresented the purpose for collecting my personal information and used it for a purpose I explicitly declined. 
Adding further concern, XXXX XXXX ; who has longstanding relationships with the finance managers at all three dealerships, may have acted in concert with them to deliberately initiate these inquiries under my name. If true, this would constitute identity misuse and potential fraud under federal law. Whether or not that coordination occurred, these inquiries were unauthorized, deceptive, and unlawful.

I attempted to dispute these inquiries directly : I called TransUnion by phone, but they refused to remove the inquiries.

I attempted online disputes with all three bureaus, but they were not processed.

These continued refusals have forced me to escalate this matter to the CFPB.

Requested Remedies I am requesting the following actions : Immediate removal of the three unauthorized hard inquiries from all three credit bureaus ( XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX  ) pursuant to 15 U.S.C. 1681i, which requires credit bureaus to reinvestigate disputed items and delete inaccurate or unverifiable information. 

A formal investigation into the deceptive and unlawful actions of the dealerships involved, as well as any potential collusion with XXXX XXXX. 

A directive to the credit bureaus to implement stricter verification protocols requiring documented, written consent before accepting hard inquiries from third parties. 

Consideration of compensatory damages for the financial, emotional, and reputational harm caused by these unauthorized actions and the negligent handling of my disputes. 

This ordeal has caused significant emotional distress and wasted countless hours of my time. As a business owner, the time spent disputing these unlawful actions has directly impacted my income and productivity. More importantly, the presence of unauthorized hard inquiries on my credit profile has lowered my credit score and jeopardized my ability to obtain financing on legitimate terms.

The fact that these inquiries remain ; despite clear violations of the FCRA and my repeated attempts to dispute them ; underscores the urgent need for CFPB intervention. 
I respectfully request that the CFPB act swiftly to hold all parties accountable, compel the removal of these inquiries, and ensure that deceptive dealership practices of this nature are investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 
Sincerely, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation