Consumer complaint received 2023-04-02 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Auto debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Beginning XX/XX/XXXX2022 a debt validation letter was sent to Creditor named " XXXX ''. XXXX could not verify the debt. 
The original letter reads : " Validation of a Debt Request Pursuant to XXXX XXXXSC 1692g.

BE ADVISED, this is not a refusal to pay, but a notice sent pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 USC 1692g stating your claim is disputed and validation is requested.

This is NOT a request for verification or proof of my mailing address, but a request for VALIDATION made pursuant to the above-named Title and Section. I respectfully request your offices provide me with competent evidence that I have any legal obligation to pay you.

At this time, I will also inform you that if your offices have reported invalidated information to any of the 3 major credit bureaus ( XXXX, Equifax or XXXX ) this action may constitute fraud under both Federal and State Laws. Due to this fact, if any negative mark is found on any of my credit reports by your company or the company you represent, I will not hesitate in bringing legal action against and your client for the following : violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and Defamation of Character ( per se ). 
If your offices are able to provide the proper documentation as requested in the following Declaration, I will require at least 30 days to investigate this information, during which time all collection activity shall CEASE and Desist. Also, during this validation period, if any action is taken which could be considered detrimental to any of my credit reports, I will consult with my legal counsel for suit. This includes any listing of information to a credit reporting repository that could be inaccurate or invalidated. 
If your office fails to respond to this validation request within 30 days from the date of your receipt, all references to this account must be deleted and completely removed from my credit file, and a copy of such deletion request shall be sent to me immediately. 
Sincerely, XXXX XXXX The Following information is required. Please fill out the form below in its entirety. 
1. Name and address of Alleged creditor : 2. Name on file of alleged debtor : 3. Alleged Account # : 4. Address on file for alleged debtor : 5. Amount of alleged debt : 6. Date this alleged became payable : 7. Date of original charge off or delinquency : 8. Was this debt assigned to a debt collector or purchased? ____ No ____Yes 9. Amount Paid if debt was purchased : 10. Commission for debt if collection efforts are successful : Please attach copies of the following : Agreement with your client that grants XXXX the authority to collect this alleged debt. 
Signed agreement Debtor has made with Debt Collector, or other verifiable proof Debtor has a contractual obligation to pay Debt collector. 
Any agreement that bears the signature of Debtor, wherein agreed to pay Creditor.

All statements while this account was open.

Have any insurance claims been made by any creditor regarding this account?

o Yes o No Have any Judgements been obtained by any creditor regarding this account? 
o Yes o No Please provide me the name and address of the bonding agent for XXXX, in case legal action becomes necessary : Date : ________________ _________________________ Authorized Signature of Creditor You must return this completed form along with copies of all requested information, assignments or other transfer agreements, which would establish your right to collect this alleged debt within 30 calendar days from the date of receipt of this letter. 
Your Claim can not and WILL NOT be considered if any portion of this form is not completed and returned with copies of all requested documents. This is a request for Validation made pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Please allow 30 calendar days for processing after I receive this information.

Thank You. '' XXXX.2022, I disputed factually the data that was being reported from XXXX. There was no response from the three credit bureaus. 
original letter reads : " I am writing to dispute the following information that your company supplied to Equifax I have circled the items I dispute on the attached copy of my credit report. 

This item XXXX account number, Date Opened, Last reported, Date last active, and date of last payment is inaccurate because the account number is incorrect as well as the date opened, last reported, date last active and date of last payment are reporting inconsistent information across all three bureaus. This is a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. 

I am requesting that Equifax have the item removed immediately. 

Enclosed are copies of my credit report with highlighted inaccuracies supporting my request. Please reinvestigate this matter and contact the nationwide credit bureaus to have them delete the disputed item as soon as possible. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX Enclosures : Credit Report, ID, and Social Security card '' XX/XX/XXXX I mailed out a 609 dispute letter stating that they investigate the inaccurate, inconsistent, and misleading information being reported. 
original letter reads : " According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Section 609 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ), you are required by federal law to verify - through the physical verification of the original signed consumer contract - any and all accounts you post on a credit report. Otherwise, anyone paying for your reporting services could fax, mail or email in a fraudulent account. 

I demand to see Verifiable Proof ( an original Consumer Contract with my Signature on it ) you have on file of the accounts listed below. Your failure to positively verify these accounts has hurt my ability to obtain credit. Under the FCRA, unverified accounts must be removed and if you are unable to provide me a copy of verifiable proof, you must remove the accounts listed below. 

I demand the following accounts be verified or removed immediately. 

Name of Account Account Number Provide Physical Verification XXXX  XXXX Unverified Account * Please remove all non-account holding inquiries over 30 days old. 
* Please add a Promotional Suppression to my credit file. 


Thank You, XXXX XXXX '' I received a letter from XXXX  only. XXXX stated that the information was updated and verified. XXXX, Equifax, and XXXX did not provide any documentation as to how the account was verified. 

XX/XX/XXXX I sent out a 611 dispute letter to all three bureaus and have gotten no response.

original letter reads : " To whom it may concern, This is a request under FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 7 ) for a description of the procedure used by your agency in providing all information to the creditor associated with my earlier dispute under FCRA 609 ( a ) filed with on XX/XX/XXXX. 
To be more specific, based on FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 2 ) ( B ), you were required to forward all of the relevant information I provided by you to the creditor for their investigation of my dispute.

Please provide me with all of the information you used for your investigation, as required by FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 7 ). 
Please reply within 15 days or delete the negative items, as originally requested. 
Below are the items that do not belong to me that you continue to report erroneously. 
1 XXXX XXXXXXXX Account can not be verified. Incorrect and inconsistent information being reported across all three bureaus. Delete immediately. 
UPDATE PERSONAL INFORMATION Also please update the following information which I saw your credit bureau to be missing or incomplete : 1. XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX 2 Full name : XXXX XXXX XXXX 3. My date of birth XX/XX/XXXX Sincerly, XXXX XXXX '' My personal information was updated but I received none of the documentation that was requested. This item is causing hardship in my life because it is keeping me from obtaining credit. I am demanding that this item be removed from my credit report immediately.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation