Consumer complaint received 2025-08-05 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Reporting company used your report improperly
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
Dear CFPB Officer, I am filing this formal complaint to report multiple and severe violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) by the major credit reporting agencies and data furnishers, including but not limited to creditors, collection agencies, and entities responsible for unauthorized inquiries. 
I am a victim of inaccurate reporting, identity confusion, fraudulent addresses, unjust charge-offs, duplicate collections, and unauthorized hard inquiries that are causing me emotional distress, financial harm, and life disruptions. 
WRONG ADDRESSES NEVER BELONGED TO ME These addresses are false and have no relation to me. I have never lived at, rented, owned, worked at, or received mail at these locations. Their presence shows clear evidence of either file merging, identity theft, or clerical error. This is dangerous, misleading, and a violation of my FCRA rights. 
XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX : I have never been associated with these locations LAW : FCRA 609 ( a ), 611, 602 STORY : These addresses may be linked to a past fraud case where my personal information was stolen. I was shocked to see addresses tied to cities Ive never visited. This has affected job applications and loan denials. My bank raised red flags due to mismatch in location data. I fear these are signs of ID theft or cross-profile merging. Please immediately delete these false addresses from my credit file before more damage is done.

ACCOUNTS MISREPORTED, CHARGED OFF, OR NEVER MINE The following accounts are either not mine, contain errors, were charged off unfairly, or reported inaccurately. Some are even duplicates, which is a clear FCRA violation. I am requesting immediate deletion or full validation under 609 and 611. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX * High Balance : {$490.00} | Opened : XX/XX/XXXX ISSUE : Unjust charge-off reported without notice LAW : FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ), FDCPA 809 STORY : This account was paid. They never sent any notices. It went to charge-off behind my back and tanked my score. Its completely unjust. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX * High Balance : {$1100.00} | Opened : XX/XX/XXXX ISSUE : Not my account STORY : Ive never had an account ending in these digits. It was likely attached to my file incorrectly. This false account is destroying my integrity and making it harder to qualify for basic financing. 
XXXX XXXX High Balance : {$530.00} | Opened : XX/XX/XXXX ISSUE : Late reported during COVID hardship STORY : During XXXX, I lost my job. I had asked for a hardship hold. They agreed verbally, then turned around and reported me late. This is unethical. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance : {$24000.00} | Opened : XX/XX/XXXX ISSUE : Misreported balance and charge-off STORY : I never defaulted on this. My payments were current. I believe they sold this account and the buyer reported it falsely. This needs investigation. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX High Balance : {$760.00} | Opened : XX/XX/XXXX ISSUE : Duplicate reporting STORY : XXXX bill XXXX accounts. How can the same energy bill be reported twice? This inflated my collections and damaged my score unfairly. 
XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, ISSUE : All are collections with no notice STORY : I never received a single call, letter, or statement from these agencies. I found out only when I got denied a loan. These surprise collections have caused me XXXXXXXX XXXX, and distrust in the credit system. 
UNAUTHORIZED / EXCESSIVE HARD INQUIRIES These inquiries were made without my permission, and/or without permissible purpose, violating FCRA 604 ( a ) ( 3 ). Many were made during a short time period when I was not applying for credit. I demand full investigation and deletion of the following : Examples : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX/XX/XXXX STORY : Some of these inquiries happened on the same day or within hours of each other. That is a clear sign of dealer credit shopping without consent. I was never told my info would be shared with this many lenders. I gave permission to one dealer, not dozens of institutions. These unauthorized pulls dropped my score by more than 20 points and caused emotional damage. I lost a vehicle approval due to these unnecessary hits.

WHAT I AM REQUESTING : Immediate full investigation into the false addresses, unauthorized inquiries, and inaccurate accounts.

Deletion of all unverifiable or incorrect entries under FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 5 ).

Enforcement against any furnishers who are violating FCRA and FDCPA laws. 
Written response from the credit bureaus and data furnishers showing evidence of how these entries were verified.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief