Consumer complaint received 2025-12-08 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: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I reviewed my credit reports and discovered a pattern of identity theft and mixed-file reporting tied to XXXX  addresses where I have never lived, combined with multiple negative tradelines that appear to belong either to an identity thief or to another person with a similar name ( my father ), not to me. 
I am a resident of XXXX  and have never been a resident of XXXX. Despite that, my credit file shows at least two addresses in XXXX, XXXX XXXX including one on XXXX XXXX XXXX and another on XXXX XXXX XXXX ). I have never lived at those addresses, never rented at those locations, and never authorized anyone to use my identity to obtain housing or credit there. 
Around those same time periods, a series of negative accounts appeared or were updated on my reports. I am disputing these as fraud / identity theft and/or misattributed accounts : An account reported by XXXX XXXX XXXX ( unsecured, opened around XX/XX/XXXX ) with potentially negative months. I do not recognize this account and do not recall ever opening it. 
An account reported by XXXX XXXX OF XXXX ( unsecured, opened around XX/XX/XXXX ) that I do not recognize. 
A large collection account reported by XXXX XXXX XXXX, with the original creditor listed as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, showing an original balance of about {$13000.00} and a current balance around {$15000.00}, opened around XX/XX/XXXX. I have never lived at XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX in XXXX, XXXX never signed a lease there, and never incurred this debt. 
Collection/debt buyer accounts reported by XXXX XXXX XXXX with original creditors listed as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  and XXXX Bank , opened in XXXX with balances of approximately {$780.00} and {$870.00}. I do not recognize these accounts as legitimate obligations I incurred. 
Collection/debt buyer accounts reported by XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX with original creditors listed as XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX Bank XXXX, with balances around {$600.00} and {$720.00}, reflecting collection status and past-due amounts. I do not recognize these specific collections as debts I legitimately incurred. 
A collection account reported by XXXX XXXX XXXX, with an original creditor listed as XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX , with a balance of approximately {$3700.00} and a collection status dating back to about XX/XX/XXXX. I do not recognize this financing or purchase. 
There are also negative notations involving auto loans ( such as multiple late payments reported under XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX ) and an open auto loan with a high outstanding balance. I am concerned that these tradelines and some of the late-payment history are being incorrectly tied to XXXX  activity and/or to another person with a similar name rather than accurately reflecting my own record. 
My legal name includes a generational suffix XXXX XXXX XXXX but some tradelines appear under a shortened version of my name without the suffix. My father shares my first and last name without the suffix. I suspect that accounts and obligations belonging to him are being mixed into my file, which is a mixed-file error, not my own credit behavior. 
I already have a fraud/identity theft alert on my credit file dating back to around XX/XX/XXXX. The alert text on my report states that fraudulent applications may have been submitted in my name or that my identity may have been used without my consent, and instructs potential creditors not to extend credit without first contacting me and verifying the application. Despite this alert, the XXXX, XXXX  addresses were added and multiple negative accounts were opened or reported after that date. This indicates that either the alert procedures were not followed or the reporting/usage of my file was not handled in compliance with the law. 
I have disputed these accounts and addresses with the credit bureaus and with the furnishers. I explained that I have never lived in XXXX, that I do not recognize a number of these accounts, that I have a longstanding fraud alert, and that some of these accounts may belong to my father due to the similar name. In my view, the current reporting and the handling of my disputes violate multiple provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) and, for collection agencies, conflict with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) : FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) requires consumer reporting agencies to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of the information in consumer reports. Reporting XXXX addresses where I have never lived, and mixing my file with accounts that may belong to my father or to an identity thief, shows that my file is not accurate and that reasonable procedures have not been followed.

FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) requires a reasonable reinvestigation of disputed information and deletion or correction of any item that is inaccurate, incomplete, or can not be verified. Despite my disputes, these accounts and addresses continue to report as if they are valid and belong to me. I have not received any meaningful explanation of how the bureaus or furnishers verified them.

FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681c-1 and related provisions on fraud alerts require special handling when a fraud alert is present, including additional steps before new credit is extended. New negative tradelines connected to XXXX  addresses appeared even after the fraud alert was placed. 
For the clearly fraudulent or identity-theft-related accounts ( for example, the large apartment collection from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXXXXXX XXXX where I have never lived ), FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681c-2 ( FCRA 605B ) requires consumer reporting agencies to block information resulting from identity theft after receiving an identity theft report and proper identification. The fact that these tradelines remain active and negatively impacting my file suggests that the identity-theft blocking process has not been fully honored. 
For the collection agencies and debt buyers ( such as XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX ), continuing to report and attempt to collect alleged debts that are not mine or that have not been properly validated is inconsistent with their obligations under the FDCPA, including 15 U.S.C. 1692e ( false or misleading representations ) and 15 U.S.C. 1692g ( validation of debts ).

Because of these issues, my credit report currently contains : Addresses in a state where I have never lived, Large collection balances tied to locations and creditors I have never dealt with, Debt-buyer and collection accounts I do not recognize, and Mixed-file elements due to name confusion between me and my father. 
This is causing ongoing harm to my creditworthiness and does not reflect my true credit history. 
I am filing this complaint so the CFPB can ensure that the credit bureaus and furnishers comply with their legal obligations. I am requesting that the CFPB require : A full, documented reinvestigation of all disputed accounts and addresses described above, taking into account that I have never lived in XXXX  and have had a fraud alert on my file since XXXX. 
Removal of all XXXX  addresses that do not belong to me from my credit file. 
Correction of my name information so that my generational suffix is used consistently and accounts that belong to my father or any other person with a similar name are not reported on my file. 
Deletion or blocking of any tradeline that is the result of identity theft, mixed-file error, or that can not be fully verified as my legitimate obligation, including the large apartment collection from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX and the other contested collections listed above. 
A clear written explanation from the companies involved describing what they did to investigate my disputes, what records they relied on, and what steps they are taking to prevent this kind of identity theft and mixed-file issue going forward. 
I want my credit reports to show only accounts and addresses that actually belong to me, in compliance with the FCRA and FDCPA. I am asking for the CFPBs help to enforce these rights and to bring my file back into an accurate, lawful state.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation