Consumer complaint received 2025-04-07 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: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NV

Complaint narrative:
Date : XX/XX/XXXX To : Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( Submitted via online complaint portal ) Re : Complaint Against Experian Failure to Remove Fraudulent Accounts and Inquiries ( FCRA 605B & 611 Violations, FACTA rights, CFPB Enforcement Action XX/XX/XXXX ) Complainant : XXXX XXXX, Victim of Identity Theft ( Address : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, NV XXXX ; DOB : XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  ; SSN : XXXX XXXX XXXX ) Company Complained About : Experian Information Solutions , Inc. ( Experian Credit Bureau ) Issue : Experian has failed to block or delete fraudulent information on my credit report despite my submitting an identity theft report and repeated disputes. This violates my rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), specifically 605B ( 15 U.S.C. 1681c2 ) and 611 ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ), as amended by the FACT Act of XXXX. It also echoes the pattern of misconduct outlined in the CFPBs XX/XX/XXXX enforcement action against Experian. 

Background : I am an identity theft victim. In XX/XX/XXXX, I discovered multiple accounts on my Experian credit file that I did not open. I promptly filed an FTC Identity Theft Report ( Report # XXXX ) and added a fraud alert to my credit file in XX/XX/XXXX. I then disputed the fraudulent accounts and inquiries with Experian, providing a copy of my FTC Identity Theft Report ( and later a police report, if required ). Under FCRA 605B, once Experian had my identity theft report and identification, they were obligated to block the fraudulent accounts from my file within 4 business days. Additionally, under FCRA 611, Experian was required to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation of my disputes and remove any information that is inaccurate or can not be verified. 

Despite these clear legal requirements, Experian failed to remove the fraudulent items. In XX/XX/XXXX, Experian processed some disputes ( the only change I saw was an updated notation on one account ), but the fraudulent accounts remained. I have since obtained my updated Experian report on XX/XX/XXXX, and the same fraudulent accounts and even more hard inquiries are still being reported. 

Fraudulent Accounts Experian Refuses to Remove : My Experian report still shows four ( 4 ) accounts that do not belong to me a charged-off XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX credit card , a XXXX XXXXXXXX account where I was falsely listed as an authorized user, a fraudulent communications account, and a XXXX XXXX XXXX account. These are described below : XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX *opened XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  * {$230.00} balance XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Account ending in XXXX ; opened XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  ; {$920.00} charged off. ( I never had a XXXX  card this was identity theft. ) XXXX XXXX Account ending in XXXX ; opened XX/XX/XXXX ; I am reported as an authorized user. ( I have no relationship with this account identity theft. ) XXXX XXXX Account ending in XXXX ; opened XX/XX/XXXX ; {$1200.00} in collections. ( I never had a XXXX account identity theft. ) All of the above accounts were opened by an imposter, not by me. I have provided Experian with an identity theft affidavit and ample proof ( including correspondence from the creditors and my FTC report ), yet Experian continues to report these accounts as if they are valid. This is causing ongoing harm to me my credit score is severely damaged, and I am being wrongfully pursued for debts that arent mine. 

Unauthorized Inquiries : Likewise, I disputed 17 hard inquiries resulting from the fraudulent applications ( auto loans, credit cards, etc. that the thief attempted ). Experian has not removed these inquiries either, even though they were not authorized by me ( and thus lack any permissible purpose under FCRA ). These inquiries ( all from XXXX ) include multiple auto finance companies and banks ( e.g., XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, several credit unions on XX/XX/XXXX, etc. I can provide a full list ). Under FCRA, these inquiries are also information that resulted from identity theft, so they should be blocked just like accounts, or at minimum treated as disputed inaccurate information. Experians failure to address them violates the law. 

Experians FCRA Obligations ( and Violations ) : Experian is obligated by FCRA 605B to block identity-theft-related information within 4 business days of receiving my request and identity theft report. I met all requirements : I provided proof of my identity, a copy of the official FTC Identity Theft Report, identified the fraudulent information, and stated that it was not mine. There is no lawful reason for Experian to refuse the block. By leaving the fraudulent accounts on my file for months, Experian is in direct violation of 605B.

Additionally, FCRA 611 requires Experian to reinvestigate disputes and remove information that can not be verified as accurate. Given that these accounts were opened as a result of identity theft, they can not be verified as legitimate accounts of mine. In fact, Ive informed Experian that the creditors themselves should have records indicating fraud ( for example, Ive informed XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX of the identity theft, and they flagged the accounts as fraudulent on their end ). Experian, however, appears to have conducted no meaningful investigation. This behavior aligns with the CFPBs recent allegations that Experian has been conducting sham investigations of consumer disputes simply parroting whatever the furnisher responds with, or ignoring the identity theft report, rather than investigating properly. Experians failure to remove these accounts is unlawful and has persisted even after the CFPBs enforcement action announced XX/XX/XXXX, which explicitly cites Experians failure to properly process identity theft disputes CFPB Enforcement Action Reference : I want to highlight that the CFPB sued Experian on XX/XX/XXXX for exactly this kind of behavior unlawfully failing to properly investigate consumer disputes, resulting in inaccurate information staying on reports. In that action ( Case CFPB v. Experian Information Solutions , Inc. ), the Bureau alleges Experian violated FCRA by not deleting information that was false or not verifiable and by conducting inadequate investigations. My case is a textbook example of Experians misconduct : despite being presented with a valid identity theft report ( which under law should immediately trigger blocking of the fraudulent data ) Experian has left the data on my report for nearly a year. This shows willful non-compliance or gross negligence on Experians part. 

Harm to Me : Experians failure to remove the fraudulent accounts has caused significant harm : My credit score has plummeted due to the derogatory items ( charge-off, collection, large auto debt ). This has caused me to be denied legitimate credit and caused emotional distress.

I spend countless hours repeatedly disputing and monitoring my credit, which is a burden. 
The presence of the fraudulent accounts delays my ability to rebuild my credit ; I can not get accurate credit until Experian removes them. 

Desired Resolution : I am filing this complaint to seek the CFPBs assistance in forcing Experian to comply with the law. I request the CFPB to : 1. Order Experian to immediately block and remove all fraudulent accounts and inquiries from my credit report pursuant to FCRA 605B.

2. Ensure Experian updates my credit file and provides me a corrected report with those items deleted, so I can move forward.

3. Consider this complaint as further evidence in the CFPBs enforcement action Experians continued flouting of FCRA even after the lawsuit was filed.

4. Impose any appropriate penalties for Experians failure to comply with FCRA 605B and 611 in my case. 

I have attached documentation supporting my case : copies of my credit report highlighting the fraudulent items, my FTC Identity Theft Report, and letters Ive sent to Experian ( with proof of receipt ). I am happy to provide any additional information the CFPB needs. My goal is simply to have my credit report corrected and to prevent Experian from harming other identity theft victims in this manner. 

Thank you for your prompt attention to this complaint. Experians negligent handling of clear-cut identity theft is unacceptable, and I trust the CFPB will help enforce my rights under the FCRA and FACTA. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, NV XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX | XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief