Consumer complaint received 2025-07-24 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: AL

Complaint narrative:
Experian is reporting a hard inquiry from XXXX XXXX XXXX  dated XX/XX/year>, which I did not authorize, initiate, or consent to. This inquiry appeared on my Experian credit report without any connection to a credit application, account request, or permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. I have no existing relationship with XXXX, nor did I initiate any form of transaction, loan application, or financial service with them that would justify this access to my personal credit file. 

This inquiry was not only unauthorizedit was made without my knowledge or any permissible basis under 15 U.S.C. 1681b ( f ) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which clearly states that a consumer reporting agency may only furnish a credit report to a person or entity that has a legally valid reason for accessing it. There was no such reason in this case. No application was submitted by me to XXXX on or around XX/XX/year>, nor did I provide written or implied consent for them to pull my credit report from Experian. Their access was completely unjustified and represents a breach of both federal consumer protection law and my privacy rights. 

Experian has not fulfilled its legal duty under 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( a ) to ensure that any party requesting access to a consumer report has a permissible purpose for doing so. The presence of this hard inquiry indicates a failure on the part of Experian to confirm whether XXXX XXXX XXXX had appropriate legal grounds for pulling my report. It is not the responsibility of the consumer to police unauthorized access after the factExperian has an affirmative duty to prevent unauthorized access before it happens. 

I submitted a dispute through Experian to have the inquiry investigated and removed, and yet I received a completely inadequate and perfunctory response stating the inquiry was accurately reported. There was no explanation, no documentation, and no confirmation from XXXX justifying the inquiry. That is not a reinvestigationit is a rubber stamp. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ), Experian is required to conduct a timely and reasonable reinvestigation of disputed information. Confirming the existence of the inquiry without proving it was lawfully authorized does not satisfy this legal obligation. 

This unauthorized inquiry has negatively affected my credit profile. Even a single hard inquiry can lower a consumers score or flag a file for unnecessary scrutiny during the credit review process. Ive had to explain to lenders that I never applied for credit with XXXX, and the fact that Experian refuses to remove this inquirydespite the complete absence of a permissible purposehas left me powerless to correct a violation of my own privacy. 

The emotional frustration of dealing with this kind of error can not be overstated. It is disturbing to learn that a financial institution can access my credit report without my knowledge and that Experian will then dismiss my dispute without requiring the furnisher to produce a shred of evidence justifying it. It creates a sense of vulnerability and distrust that no consumer should have to endureespecially when the law is supposed to protect us from exactly this type of behavior.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation