Consumer complaint received 2025-08-03 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: FL

Complaint narrative:
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Fair Credit Reporting Act Violations Unauthorized and Inaccurate Reporting of Child Support Information Without Written Consent To Whom It May Concern : I am writing to formally lodge a complaint under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) regarding the unauthorized and inaccurate reporting of a child support obligation on my consumer credit report. This reporting was conducted without my written consent, in violation of federal law, and without adherence to required data integrity standards.

1. Violation of 15 U.S.C. 1681b No Written Consent Under 15 U.S.C. 1681b ( c ) ( 1 ), a consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report only in connection with a credit transaction initiated by the consumer, and only with the consumers written authorization when it pertains to a credit application. I have never signed any credit application, agreement, or written authorization permitting the child support agency ( whether state or federal ) to access or report information about me to any consumer reporting agency. 
There exists no contractual relationship, loan agreement, or service contract between myself and the child support agency that would allow such reporting under any permissible purpose defined in the FCRA.

2. Violation of 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) Lack of Accuracy and Data Integrity The reported tradeline lacks the required accuracy and completeness under 1681e ( b ), which mandates that consumer reporting agencies maintain reasonable procedures to ensure maximum possible accuracy of the information they report. The child support data reported is inaccurate, outdated, and misleading, and does not reflect accurate account status, payment history, or a valid creditor-consumer relationship.

Further, the information reported fails to meet Metro 2 compliance standards, which are the industry-standard format for reporting to consumer credit agencies, raising additional concerns regarding systemic data formatting and field compliance errors.

3. Violation of 15 U.S.C. 1681i Failure to Verify Disputed Tradeline I previously disputed the child support tradeline with the credit reporting agencies. However, they failed to conduct a meaningful reinvestigation as required under 1681i. They continued to report inaccurate or unverifiable information without providing the method of verification or correcting the errors. This constitutes a willful or negligent failure to comply with the FCRA.

4. Violation of Data Sharing Agreement Terms Moreover, the reporting of child support obligations appears to violate the Data Sharing Agreements between states and credit reporting agencies, which typically prohibit the sharing of certain protected or non-credit-related information without statutory or written authorization. The tradeline is not a credit transaction and does not fall under any permissible purpose as outlined in 1681b ( a ).

Requested Relief : Immediate removal of the unauthorized and inaccurate child support tradeline from my credit report.

Full investigation into the data furnisher and credit reporting agency 's compliance with 15 U.S.C. 1681b, 1681e ( b ), 1681i, and Metro 2 data formatting standards. 
Sanctions or enforcement actions as deemed appropriate by the CFPB to prevent further non-compliance. 
Written confirmation of receipt of this complaint and a record of the investigation results. 
Please note that this matter has caused undue harm to my credit standing, impacted my ability to obtain credit, and violated my rights under federal law. I respectfully request immediate attention to this complaint. 
Sincerely, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief