Consumer complaint received 2024-12-27 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Dispute of Identity Theft-Related Collection Account Dear CFPB, On XX/XX/year>, I received a letter regarding an identity theft fraud concern with Equifax about a collection account associated with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX This account, with an ending balance of {$71.00}, was previously owned by XXXX XXXX Credit Card which is serviced by XXXXXXXX XXXX. 

I have a police report sent to Equifax on file documenting identity theft and fraud related to this account. On XX/XX/year>, XXXXXXXX XXXX sold the First Progress credit card account to XXXX XXXX XXXX. Subsequently, on XX/XX/year>, XXXX XXXX XXXX placed the account with XXXX XXXX XXXX for servicing. 

Despite submitting the required documentation, including the police report, Equifax notified me that the fraudulent information linked to this account would not be blocked from my credit report. Pursuant to Section XXXX ( c ) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), Equifax is obligated to block such information upon receiving valid documentation. My request was improperly denied, and I believe the investigation was not conducted in compliance with FCRA requirements. 

Equifaxs investigation results stated that XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX were not currently reporting on my credit file. However, this was never the basis of my dispute. XXXX XXXX XXXX  account would not appear on my credit file if it had already been sold to XXXX XXXX XXXX through XXXXXXXX XXXX. Additionally, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX identity theft-related transactions were part of the police report but were never reported to Equifax. 

It appears XXXXXXXX XXXX sold the XXXX XXXX  Credit Card account without fully disclosing its association with the XXXX XXXX credit card, referencing only its affiliation with XXXXXXXX XXXX This lack of transparency is misleading and has contributed to the misrepresentation of the account to Equifax credit reporting agency. 

Several provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) may have been violated. Here are the relevant laws and potential violations : 1. Section 605B - Block of Information Resulting from Identity Theft 2. Section 611 - Dispute Procedures-Potential Violation : Equifax failed to adequately investigate your dispute, relying on irrelevant information about XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX addressing the grounds of my dispute related to XXXX XXXX XXXX and identity theft.

3. Section 623 - Responsibilities of Furnishers of Information-Potential Violation : XXXXXXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX have violated this section by failing to accurately report the association between the First Progress credit card and XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX This misrepresentation appears deceptive and may have contributed to the erroneous reporting. 

Summary of Potential Violations : Equifax : Failed to block the disputed information under Section 605B and did not conduct a proper investigation under Section 611. 
XXXXXXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX : Potentially violated Sections 623 and 609 ( e ) by failing to report accurate information and not providing clarity about the account. 


I request your assistance in ensuring compliance with FCRA provisions and addressing this matter, including the removal of fraudulent information from my credit report. 

Thank you for your attention to this issue.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation