Consumer complaint received 2025-07-31 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Investigation took more than 30 days
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
Creditor : XXXX XXXX -- - Account ending in ( XXXX ) Credit Reporting Agencies : Equifax, Experian, TransUnion Date : XX/XX/XXXX Subject : Urgent Request for Permanent Deletion of Unverified Account and Immediate Action Against Continuous Reporting Violations Complaint Summary : This complaint is filed on behalf of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX against XXXX XXXX and their debt collector, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX for their continuous failure to validate and verify the disputed account as per the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) guidelines. Additionally, this complaint addresses the complicity of the credit reporting agenciesin continuously reporting unverified information, causing significant harm to the consumer 's credit score. 

Dispute Timeline : XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX : Dispute initiated by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, with a CEASE AND DESIST notice to XXXX XXXX XXXX 
XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX : Disputes sent to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion regarding late charges, improper interest charges, unenforceable contract, failure to disclose charges, and incorrect balance. 
XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX : Letter sent to XXXX XXXX stating that the creditor verified the account as accurate but failed to conduct a " Reasonable Investigation. '' XX/XX/XXXX : XXXX provided a deficient validation response. 
XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX : Follow-up letter sent to XXXX XXXX highlighting missing valid contract, missing signature, valid statement of charges, and no detailed interest rates. 
XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX : Collection document received from XXXX XXXX without proper validation of the debt. 
XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX : Invalid document analysis provided by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, highlighting incomplete statements, no valid signature, no contract attached, and no interest rate/APR specified. 
Key Deficiencies in Verification Response : - No Complete Statements/List of Charges : The response did not include a complete list of charges, making it impossible to verify the accuracy of the account. 
-No Valid Signature on the Contract : The contract provided lacked a valid signature, questioning its authenticity and legal binding.

-No Contract Attached : The response failed to include the contract, essential for verifying the terms and conditions of the account. 
-No Interest Rate/APR on the Contract : The contract did not specify the interest rate or APR, making it impossible to verify the accuracy of the reported interest charges and overall account balance.

Relevant FCRA Verification Standards Under the FCRA, the following standards must be met for information to be considered valid : -Accuracy and Completeness : Information reported must be accurate and complete.

-Verification : If a consumer disputes the accuracy of information, the credit reporting agency must conduct a reasonable investigation to verify the information.

-Timeliness : The investigation must be completed within 30 days, with a possible 15-day extension if additional information is provided by the consumer. 
-Notification : The consumer must be notified of the results of the investigation.

Relevant Florida Consumer Law Violations -- Under Florida Consumer Law, specifically the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act ( FDUTPA ), the following standards must be met : 1 ) Unfair or Deceptive Acts : It is unlawful to engage in unfair methods of competition or unconscionable, deceptive, or unfair acts or practices in trade or commerce.

2 ) Consumer Protection : The law protects consumers from practices that mislead or deceive them regarding the terms and conditions of financial products and services. 
3 ) Continuous Reporting Violations The continuous reporting of an account that has not been properly validated or verified as per FCRA guidelines constitutes a violation of both federal and state laws. Specifically, the following laws are violated : FCRA Violations : 1 ) 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( b ) : Duty of furnishers of information to investigate disputed information.

2 ) 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) : Requirement to reinvestigate disputed information within 30 days. 

Florida Consumer Law Violations : XXXX ) Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act ( FDUTPA ) : Prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in trade or commerce.

District 11 Case Law Supporting Dismissal and Damages XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ( XXXX XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX ) : Summary : The court clarified the proper procedure for dismissing claims and emphasized the importance of proper validation and investigation of claims. The case highlighted the necessity of accurate and complete documentation in legal proceedings. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX Cir. XXXX ) : Summary : The court suggested that a notice of dismissal of a claim might be construed as a motion for a Rule 15 amendment, emphasizing the need for proper procedural adherence and validation of claims.

Highlighting the Time Frame and Continuous Reporting Violations Exceeding the 30-Day Time Frame : The FCRA requires that disputes be investigated and resolved within 30 days, with a possible 15-day extension if additional information is provided. The dispute process for this account began on XX/XX/XXXX, and as of XX/XX/XXXX, the account remains unverified. This exceeds the allowable time frame by over 22 months. 
Filing in Court with Unverified Debt : XXXXXXXX XXXX and their legal representatives, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, filed in court with unverified debt, violating FCRA guidelines. 

Continuous Reporting of Unverified Information : The continuous reporting of this unverified account to the credit bureaus ( Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion ) has continuously harmed and suppressed the consumer 's credit score, violating both federal and state consumer protection laws. 

Conclusion The document " XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( attached along with their violation responses ) highlights significant gaps in the verification response provided by XXXX XXXX, including missing complete statements, lack of a valid signature, absence of the contract, and missing interest rate/APR information. 

These deficiencies indicate that the verification process DID NOT MEET the FCRA standards for accuracy, completeness, and verification. Additionally, these issues may constitute violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act ( FDUTPA ). 

This information, along with supporting case law, can be used to support a court filing to challenge the validity of the reported account, including complicit violations by the Credit Reporting Agencies that fail to conduct " Reasonable Investigations '' and in violation of Federal Consumer Laws continue to report " unverified/unvalidated '' debt. 

Continuous reporting of this unverified account further violates both federal and state consumer protection laws. These documents attached in evidence submitted in this CFPB complaint to the three credit reporting agencies ( CRAs ) to have the account deleted, highlighting the complicity of the CRAs and the creditor 's willful negligence in validating the debt. Since several disputes have failed and the CRAs in violation of the law and consumer protections continues to report parotting in complicity what the Creditor, XXXX XXXX has failed to verify within a 22 month period ( 22 instancesa across 3 bureaus of FCRA Violations ). 

THIS MUST BE CORRECTED WITHIN THE NEXT 15 DAYS. EVIDENCE ATTACHED!!!!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation