Consumer complaint received 2025-07-30 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: MD

Complaint narrative:
I discovered several unauthorized accounts and inquiries reported on my credit file. These entries were not initiated by me and are the direct result of identity theft. Despite timely disputes and proper documentation, multiple fraudulent accounts and unauthorized inquiries remain on my credit file, causing significant financial and reputational harm, including score reductions, denial of credit, and higher interest rates. This ongoing inaccurate reporting constitutes a direct violation of your statutory duties to ensure accuracy, conduct reasonable reinvestigations, and block identity theft-related information. Their continued reporting has caused severe harm to my credit profile, including lowered credit scores and denial of fair access to financial services. 

The fraudulent accounts and associated details are as follows : XXXX XXXX XXXX ( Account XXXX. XXXX ) Fraudulent secured loan account opened in XX/XX/XXXX, discovered in XX/XX/XXXX, with a total fraudulent amount of {$530.00}. 

XXXX ( Account XXXX. XXXX ) Fraudulent secured loan account opened in XX/XX/XXXX, discovered in XX/XX/XXXX, amount disputed. 

State of XXXX  XXXX XXXX ( Account XXXX. XXXX ) Fraudulent collection account associated with the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, opened in XX/XX/XXXX and discovered in XX/XX/XXXX, totaling {$1600.00}. 

These fraudulent items were accompanied by multiple unauthorized inquiries from XXXX XXXX, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX, and others during XXXX, which are also not attributable to me. The presence of these accounts and inquiries has resulted in derogatory indicators, charge-offs, and late payments being wrongfully reported, such as the XXXX charge-off ( {$1900.00} ) and XXXX XXXX late payments XXXX XXXX occurrences ). 

Upon discovering this fraudulent activity, I immediately filed an FTC Identity Theft Report, placed fraud alerts on my credit files, and initiated disputes with Experian and the furnishers of the inaccurate information. Despite these steps, the fraudulent entries remain, causing ongoing harm to my creditworthiness, including lowered FICO scores ( currently XXXX per Experian ), higher interest rates, and denial of favorable credit terms. 
Upon discovery, I exercised my rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), 15 U.S.C. 1681c-2, which requires credit reporting agencies to block information that results from identity theft within XXXX business days of receiving an identity theft report. Furthermore, 15 U.S.C. 1681i requires consumer reporting agencies to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation of disputed information and promptly delete or correct inaccurate data. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2, furnishers of information are also obligated to ensure accuracy and respond to disputes in good faith.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act ( FACTA ) of XXXX expands these protections, granting me the right to request fraud alerts, credit freezes, and removal of fraudulent data. Additionally, Section 609 ( e ) of the FCRA mandates that I may obtain all documents relating to fraudulent accounts to assist in proving unauthorized activity and holding perpetrators accountable.

Federal case law reinforces these statutory rights. In Cushman v. Trans Union Corp., 115 F.3d 220 ( 3d Cir. 1997 ), the court held that credit reporting agencies must conduct a reasonable investigation and can not rely solely on a furnishers verification when disputes are raised. In Richardson v. Equifax Credit Info. Servs., Inc. , 2004 WL 1124612 ( E.D. Tex. May 20, 2004 ), the court emphasized that failure to properly investigate and correct inaccuracies constitutes a violation of the FCRA. Similarly, Dennis v. BEH-1, LLC, 520 F.3d 1066 ( 9th Cir. 2008 ) confirmed that creditors and furnishers share responsibility for ensuring accuracy in reported information. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, I replaced my lost Social Security card, which had been missing since XXXX, as part of my continued efforts to secure my identity and prevent further unauthorized activity. Despite these measures and multiple disputes filed, the fraudulent entries remain, causing ongoing financial and reputational damage. 

I respectfully request that all fraudulent accounts, inquiries, and negative information be permanently removed or blocked pursuant to my rights under the FCRA ( 15 U.S.C. 1681c-2, 1681i, 1681s-2 ) and FACTA, as supported by controlling federal case law. Immediate compliance will restore the accuracy of my credit history and mitigate the continued harm caused by these violations.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief