Consumer complaint received 2025-07-21 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Problem with personal statement of dispute
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I am a victim of identity theft and have been attempting to dispute fraudulent accounts that were opened and operated under my name without my knowledge or consent.

The fraudulent accounts include : 1. 2. 3. 4. An XXXX XXXX personal credit card and business card A XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Potentially other unknown bank accounts used to make payments Possible unauthorized use of my phone number and email accounts The fraudster used my full legal identity, including both my previous and current residential addresses, and may have obtained a copy of my government-issued ID. 
In XXXX, I lost my mobile phone, and I believe the fraudster gained access to my phone number, email addresses, and possibly saved login credentials to multiple online platforms. This would have allowed them to receive two-factor authentication ( 2FA ) codes and impersonate me to open and manage fraudulent accounts.

The fraudulent accounts were paid monthly over a long period, which may cause them to appear legitimate. However, this is a known tactic used by identity thieves to avoid detection by lenders and credit bureaus.

This identity theft has caused me significant emotional distress, XXXX, and harm to my credit, which I rely on for basic housing and financial needs. I have invested considerable time and effort into disputing this fraud, and yet my rights under federal law continue to be disregarded.

I strongly suspect that someone I previously lived with may be involved in this fraud. This individual had access to shared addresses and may have gained access to documents containing my personal information. However, I do not have definitive proof of the specific perpetrators identity, which is why I have not involved law enforcement at this time.

Furthermore, based on responses I received from the credit card companies, I understand that payments were allegedly made from bank accounts opened in my name. I never opened or accessed such bank accounts, and I strongly believe the fraudster also created those accounts using my stolen identity. This supports the organized and deliberate nature of the identity theft I have been subjected to.

I never applied for or received any of these credit cards. I did not activate any of them, never set up online access, requested statements, or had any interaction with the financial institutions involved.

I submitted a identity theft and update it ( I find more unauthorized information ), along with proof of my identity, in accordance with FCRA 605B. Despite this, both XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX have refused to remove the fraudulent accounts, citing internal investigations based on data points such as name and address matches or account activity. However, internal policy does not override federal law.

These institutions continue to ignore the following facts : I never applied for or received these cards I never had access to the accounts I never made or authorized any payments I never contacted these institutions in any capacity I am acting in good faith and seeking a lawful and fair resolution. I respectfully request that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) intervene to ensure that : 1. 2. 3. All fraudulent accounts are permanently removed from my credit reports Creditors stop furnishing false or fraudulent data to credit bureaus These institutions comply with federal law and do not require victims to meet illegal or overly burdensome standards that contradict the Fair Credit Reporting Act

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation