Consumer complaint received 2025-07-24 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:
I am submitting this complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regarding multiple errors and violations in my credit report maintained by Equifax. These include inaccurate reporting of late payments, charge-offs, collections, repossessions, and unauthorized or unverifiable inquiries. The accounts listed below violate various sections of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ), and I am requesting immediate investigation and correction or deletion. 

Charge-Off XXXX : This account is being reported as a charge-off with an outstanding balance of {$1000.00}. The creditor has marked the account as charged off, but there is no supporting documentation such as a XXXX form, proof of transfer, or signed agreement substantiating this debt. The account appears to have been sold or transferred, but no accurate reporting reflects that transition. As a consumer, I have not received any proper validation or notice. This violates FCRA compliance standards. 

Violations : 15 USC 1681e ( b ) Maximum possible accuracy, 15 USC 1692g Validation of debts Instruction : Please delete this account due to lack of documentation, improper status reporting, and noncompliance. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX A {$300.00} collection account is being reported by a third-party collector without any original signed agreement or legally mandated validation. The debt is unverified, and I have never received any itemization or original documentation from XXXX. No validation letter or proof of assignment between XXXX and XXXX has XXXX provided. 

Violations : 15 USC 1692g Failure to validate, 15 USC 1681e ( b ) Accuracy, 15 USC 1692e False/misleading representations Instruction : This account must be removed from my report due to lack of proper validation and illegal reporting practices. 

Late Payments XXXX XXXX : Multiple late payments have been reported on my closed FedLoan account, even though I was in an active deferment period during the COVID-19 relief window. Servicers were prohibited from reporting negative payment history during this time, per the CARES Act and relevant FCRA provisions. This inaccurate reporting is damaging my credit profile.

Violations : 15 USC 1666b Payment timing, 15 USC 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( F ) Reporting obligations under deferment Instruction : Please immediately update the status of this account to 'Paid as agreed Never late. ' Hard Inquiries : My credit report lists several hard inquiries from financial institutions such as XXXX XXXX, XXXX  XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX. I did not authorize or initiate these applications, nor was I informed of any intended use of my consumer report by these entities. These inquiries were made without my consent, constituting a violation of federal permissible purpose requirements. 

Violations : 15 USC 1681b ( a ) ( 2 ) Permissible purpose, 15 USC 1681q False pretenses Instruction : I request these unauthorized inquiries be removed immediately from my credit report.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief