Consumer complaint received 2024-12-05 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: SC

Complaint narrative:
Reference Accounts : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I am writing to formally dispute inaccurate information on my credit report, pursuant to Section 605B of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), 15 U.S.C. 1681c-2, and request the immediate removal of any fraudulent accounts associated with my name and personal information. In accordance with this law, I have provided the necessary FTC Identity Theft Report to support my claim of fraudulent activity and data breach. 


I recently discovered that my personal information was compromised as part of a data breach involving Equifax. As a direct result of this breach, I am now facing fraudulent collections accounts on my credit report. The unauthorized use of my personal information has led to these collections being wrongly attributed to me. Under the FCRA, specifically Section 605B, I am entitled to request the removal of these fraudulent accounts from my credit file, as they do not reflect any legitimate debt I owe. 

2. Request for Immediate Removal of Fraudulent Information : Under Section 605B of the FCRA, I request that you immediately remove all accounts that were opened fraudulently or are associated with identity theft from my credit report. These accounts were not authorized by me and have been opened as a result of the data breach involving Equifax. I have included a copy of my FTC Identity Theft Report, which details the fraudulent activity and confirms the theft of my personal information. 

3. Legal Timeframe for Removal : Under Section 605B of the FCRA, when a consumer submits a valid FTC Identity Theft Report, credit reporting agencies must take action to investigate and remove fraudulent accounts within 4 business days. Therefore, I request that you immediately remove these fraudulent accounts from my credit report and correct the inaccuracies. Failure to comply with this requirement will leave me no choice but to pursue further legal actions, including filing complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) and the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ). 

4. Failure to Verify Fraudulent Accounts : As per 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ), when a consumer disputes information on their credit report, the credit bureaus must conduct a reasonable investigation into the disputed items. However, I have reason to believe that the fraudulent accounts, stemming from the data breach, have not been properly investigated or removed. Despite my prior dispute, these accounts remain on my credit report, which is causing severe damage to my credit score. 

5. Request for Removal Due to Inaccuracy or Fraud : As these accounts are the result of identity theft and a data breach, I am requesting that you immediately remove them from my credit file in accordance with the FCRA. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ), if information can not be verified or is found to be inaccurate or incomplete, it must be deleted. This includes accounts opened fraudulently due to a data breach. 

6. FTC Report Submission : Enclosed with this letter is a copy of my FTC Identity Theft Report, which I filed to support my claim. According to the FCRA and guidelines of the Federal Trade Commission, this report serves as evidence that I have been a victim of identity theft and data breach, and it should be sufficient for the removal of fraudulent accounts from my credit report. 

I kindly ask that you complete your investigation and remove the fraudulent accounts from my credit report within 4 business days, as required by law. If you do not comply with the FCRA, I will escalate the matter by filing a formal complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) and may consider pursuing further legal action. 

Please provide written confirmation that these fraudulent accounts have been removed and that my credit report has been updated to reflect the accurate information. 

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your timely response.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation