Consumer complaint received 2025-04-27 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Personal information incorrect
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
XX/XX/year> Consumer Financial Protection Bureau XXXX. XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX IA XXXX Re : Complaint Against Equifax Information Services LLC - Serious FCRA Violations CFPB Complaint Number : XXXX Dear CFPB Representative : I am writing to file a formal complaint against Equifax Information Services LLC ( `` Equifax '' ) for multiple serious violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). This complaint follows an inadequate and legally problematic response from Equifax to my previous dispute ( s ). 

# # Summary of Issues Equifax has incorrectly confirmed that credit information currently reporting on my Equifax credit report belongs to me, when in fact, it is someone else 's credit information entirely. This is clearly evidenced by my actual credit history correctly reporting on my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, and other consumer reporting agencies. 

# # Verification of Misidentification I have personally contacted each creditor that is currently falsely reporting on my Equifax credit report. These creditors have confirmed that the XXXX XXXX in their records has a Social Security Number beginning with XXXX, whereas my Social Security Number begins with XXXX. This conclusively proves that Equifax is reporting another individual 's credit history under my name and personal identifiers. Despite providing this evidence to Equifax, they have refused to correct my credit file and have incorrectly validated the erroneous information as mine. 

# # Violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act Based on Equifax 's response and actions, they have committed multiple violations of the FCRA, including but not limited to : 1. * * Failure to maintain reasonable procedures to ensure maximum possible accuracy * * of the information in my consumer report ( 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) ), by reporting and subsequently confirming someone else 's credit history as mine despite clear SSN discrepancies ; 2. * * Failure to properly reinvestigate disputed information * * in my credit file ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ), as evidenced by their incorrect validation despite creditor confirmation of SSN mismatch ; 3. * * Failure to promptly delete inaccurate information * * from my file after reinvestigation ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 5 ) ( A ) ), despite clear evidence that the information belongs to a different consumer ; 4. * * Improper blocking of access to my own credit file * * by internally freezing my Equifax credit report without proper authorization, which constitutes a separate violation of my rights under the FCRA to access my own information ( 15 U.S.C. 1681g ).

# # Abuse of Power and Consumer Harm In addition to misreporting, Equifax has internally frozen my credit report, effectively stripping me of the ability to access my own consumer information. This action appears to be retaliatory following my legitimate disputes and constitutes an abuse of power that further violates my rights under the FCRA. A consumer reporting agency does not have the authority to unilaterally restrict a consumer 's access to their own credit information as a response to legitimate disputes.

# # Prior Attempts to Resolve I have made multiple good faith attempts to resolve this issue directly with Equifax through their dispute process. In response to my previous CFPB complaint, Equifax incorrectly validated that the erroneous information belongs to me, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including the SSN discrepancy confirmed by the creditors themselves.

# # Damages Incurred As a direct result of these violations, I have suffered actual damages including : 1. Denials of credit applications ; 2. Less favorable terms on loans and credit cards ; 3. Significant time spent disputing erroneous information and contacting creditors ; 4. Emotional distress and damage to my reputation ; 5. Inability to access my own credit information due to Equifax 's improper freeze.

# # Request for Action I respectfully request that the CFPB : 1. Open a new investigation into this matter, with particular attention to the SSN discrepancy that has been confirmed by the creditors ; 2. Require Equifax to immediately remove all information that does not belong to me from my credit report ; 3. Direct Equifax to remove the internal freeze on my credit file and restore my access ; 4. Require Equifax to issue corrections to all entities that have received my erroneous credit report within the last two years ; 5. Consider whether enforcement action is appropriate given the willful nature of these violations after being presented with clear evidence of misidentification ; 6. Monitor Equifax for compliance with FCRA requirements in handling mixed files and consumer disputes. 

I believe this matter represents not only individual violations in my case but potentially systemic failures in Equifax 's procedures that may affect many other consumers. The refusal to correct obviously erroneous information even after being presented with clear evidence of a Social Security Number mismatch suggests willful noncompliance with the FCRA.

I have retained legal counsel who is preparing to file a lawsuit against Equifax for willful and/or negligent noncompliance with the FCRA. Your agency 's intervention would be greatly appreciated and could potentially help resolve this matter without litigation. 

All documentation supporting my claims, including correspondence with creditors confirming the SSN discrepancy, is available upon request.

Thank you for your attention to this serious consumer protection matter. I look forward to your response. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX Enclosures : 1. Copies of correspondence with creditors confirming SSN discrepancy 2. Copy of previous CFPB complaint ( s ) and Equifax 's response ( s ) 3. Copies of credit reports from Equifax, XXXX  and XXXX showing the discrepancies 4. [ Any other relevant documentation ] cc : XXXX : XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation