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: MO

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint because there are multiple derogatory accounts appearing on my credit reports that I do not own and have never authorized. These accounts include : 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  None of these accounts belong to me, I never applied for or opened them, and I have never received any original contracts, statements, or documents proving that these debts are mine. Because of this, I filed an FTC Identity Theft Report stating that these accounts were fraudulently created and do not belong to me. Despite my disputes and the filing of the FTC report, these companies and the credit bureaus have continued to report the accounts without validating them or providing documentation. 

This complaint explains the timeline, the disputes I submitted, the lack of documentation from the furnishers, the violations of my consumer rights, and the financial harm caused by the presence of these false derogatory accounts. 

1. How the Issue Was Discovered I recently obtained my credit reports from the three major bureausTransUnion, Experian, and Equifaxto review my accounts and ensure everything was accurate. When reviewing the reports, I was shocked to see three derogatory accounts that I did not recognize and did not authorize. These accounts were reported as charge-offs or collections, with past-due balances and negative payment histories that significantly damaged my credit. 

Because these accounts were entirely unfamiliar, I immediately recognized this as potential identity theft or incorrect reporting. I did not receive any notice from the companies, no collection letters, and no documentation informing me about these alleged debts. There was no communication prior to these accounts suddenly appearing on my report. 

2. Derogatory Account # 1 XXXX XXXX ( {$290.00} Past Due ) The XXXX XXXXXXXX account is reporting as a charge-off with a past-due balance of {$290.00}. I have never opened a XXXX XXXX credit card or loan. I never received any contract, billing statement, card, or account-opening letter from XXXX XXXX. 

I disputed this account with all three credit bureaus and requested validation and the method of verification. The bureaus responded with brief statements claiming the account was verified, but did not provide : A signed application An original contract A credit card agreement Billing statements Payment history Identity verification used to open the account XXXX XXXX also failed to provide any documentation. They did not send information showing how the account was created, and they did not prove that the account belongs to me. Because no validation was ever provided, I believe this account is fraudulent or incorrectly attributed to me. 

3. Derogatory Account # 2 XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX account appears as a derogatory charge-off, but the reporting is inconsistent. Some bureaus show a {$0.00} balance, yet the account still lists derogatory late payments and a charge-off status. 

I never opened any credit account with XXXX XXXX or XXXX XXXX. I have never received : A XXXX XXXX credit card A billing statement An account agreement A welcome letter Any communication at all I disputed this account with the credit bureaus and directly with XXXX XXXX, requesting validation. XXXX XXXX did not provide anything in responseno contract, no proof of ownership, no itemized statements, and no evidence of any delinquency. 

The account remains on my report without validation, and the inconsistent reporting raises serious concerns about accuracy. Since I did not open this account and XXXX XXXX has not proven that the account belongs to me, I consider this account fraudulent or improperly reported. 

4. Derogatory Account # 3 XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ( {$2500.00} Past Due ) The third derogatory account is a collection account reported by XXXX XXXX XXXX with a past-due amount of {$2500.00}. Again, I do not recognize this debt. I never received a letter from XXXX XXXX informing me of any collection placement. I was never notified about an account being sold or assigned to them. I never received a validation letter, which is required under FDCPA 809 ( b ). 

When I disputed this account with the bureaus, XXXX XXXX allegedly verified it. Yet : They did not provide any proof of the original creditor. 

They did not provide a contract. 

They did not provide an itemized accounting. 

They did not provide a bill of sale or assignment. 

They did not provide any proof tying the debt to me. 

XXXX XXXX failed to validate the debt, yet continues reporting it, which is a violation of the FDCPA. Because I never owned this account and no documentation has been produced, this collection account is also fraudulent or incorrectly assigned to me. 

5. Filing of the FTC Identity Theft Report Because none of these accounts belong to me and none of the furnishers have validated them, I filed an official FTC Identity Theft Report. This filing documents that : I did not open these accounts. 

I did not authorize any applications. 

I did not approve any charges. 

I am disputing the accounts as fraudulent. 

These accounts were opened or reported without my knowledge. 

Under federal law ( FACTA and FCRA 605B ), an FTC Identity Theft Report requires furnisher compliance, including blocking and removal of fraudulent tradelines when validation can not be provided. 

Despite this, the accounts remain on my credit report. 

6. Disputes Filed With the Credit Bureaus I filed written disputes with all three credit bureaus for each of the three accounts. In each dispute, I explained : These accounts are not mine. 

No documentation exists showing my authorization. 

I filed an FTC Identity Theft Report. 

The furnishers failed to validate the accounts. 

I requested : A full reinvestigation The method of verification Copies of all documents relied upon Deletion of unverifiable information The credit bureaus responded with standard template responses stating that the accounts were verified, yet none of them provided the method of verification or any documentation. 

This failure to conduct a proper reinvestigation violates FCRA 611. 

7. Consumer Harm Caused by These False Derogatory Accounts The presence of these fraudulent or inaccurately reported derogatory accounts has caused severe harm, including : A significant drop in my credit score Higher interest rates on loans Denial of credit applications Increased insurance premiums Difficulty qualifying for housing or rental opportunities Emotional stress and loss of time spent trying to resolve this issue Damage to my financial reputation These accounts are false, unvalidated, and harmful. 

8. Failure of Furnishers to Validate the Accounts Under federal law, furnishers must only report information that is accurate and verifiable. In these cases : XXXX XXXX Failed to validate the account and has not shown that I ever opened it. 

XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX Has not provided proof of ownership or a signed agreement. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX Did not produce a contract, assignment, or validation letter. 

All three furnishers are in violation of : FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) Duty to report accurate information FCRA 623 ( b ) ( 1 ) Duty to investigate disputes FDCPA 809 ( b ) Must cease collection until validation is provided FCRA 605B Identity theft blocking requirements Because none of these companies validated the debts, they should not be reporting them at all. 

9. Why CFPB Assistance Is Needed Despite multiple disputes, validation requests, and my FTC Identity Theft Report, the accounts remain on my credit report. CFPB intervention is necessary because : The companies have not followed federal law. 

The bureaus did not conduct meaningful reinvestigations. 

My FTC Identity Theft Report has not been honored. 

The accounts remain unvalidated and fraudulent. 

CFPB assistance is required to ensure compliance and protect me from continued harm. 

CONCLUSION I do not own any of the derogatory accounts listed under my credit report : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX All three accounts are fraudulent or incorrectly attributed to me. None of the furnishers provided validation. None produced contracts, statements, application records, identity documents, or proof that I opened these accounts. I filed an FTC Identity Theft Report, yet the accounts remain. 

I am requesting CFPB assistance to require : Immediate deletion of all three derogatory accounts from all credit bureaus. 

Documentation proving ownership if the companies insist the accounts are valid. 

Proper reinvestigations conducted by the credit bureaus. 

Compliance with my FTC Identity Theft Report. 

Blocking of any unverifiable or fraudulent information from future reporting. 

These accounts do not belong to me, are harming my credit, and have not been validated. I respectfully request that the CFPB take action to ensure these inaccurate tradelines are removed and that my credit report is restored to accuracy.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief