Consumer complaint received 2025-10-05 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: MD

Complaint narrative:
Dear Experian Compliance / Dispute Department : This letter is in response to your prior correspondence and your handling of my dispute under CFPB complaint number # XXXX, filed XX/XX/XXXX. I previously documented multiple unauthorized hard credit inquiries made in XX/XX/XXXX ( and other dates ) without my consent, authorization, or permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). 

Your response which merely states that furnishers certified permissible purposes is wholly insufficient under the law. Accordingly, I hereby provide this formal, legally grounded demand and notice of potential enforcement.

Legal & Regulatory Framework 1. FCRA Permissible Purpose / Authorization ( 15 U.S.C. 1681b ) Under FCRA, no entity may access my credit file unless a permissible purpose exists and, in many cases, I have given explicit authorization. Because I did not apply or authorize any such credit requests ( and in fact told the dealership I already had financing ), those inquiries are unlawful and must be removed. 


XXXX. FCRA Reasonable Reinvestigation ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ) When a consumer disputes information, the credit reporting agency must conduct a reasonable investigation. Your reliance on mere certification without producing signed authorizations or verifying actual consent is a sham investigation. That violates your statutory duty. 


XXXX. Willful and Negligent Violations ( 15 U.S.C. 1681n & 1681o ) Because your reinvestigation was patently inadequate, you may be liable for willful noncompliance ( entitling me to statutory and punitive damages ) or negligent noncompliance ( entitling me to actual damages, costs, and attorneys fees ). 


XXXX. Metro 2 & Data Accuracy / Integrity Standards The Metro 2 compliance standards and the accuracy/integrity requirements ( under CDIA and related guidance ) demand that only data that is verifiably accurate and authorized may remain on consumer files. Allowing unverified inquiries to persist is a breach of those standards and your obligations as a consumer reporting agency. 


XXXX. CFPB / FTC Enforcement & Precedent In a recent enforcement action, the CFPB ordered XXXX  to pay {$15.00} million for improper investigations of credit reporting errors. Your approach of superficial reinvestigations is precisely what the CFPB has targeted as noncompliant conduct. 

The CFPB has publicly flagged repeated failures by consumer reporting agencies to ensure credit report accuracy and to properly respond to disputes. 

The FTC and CFPB jointly fined XXXX  {$23.00} million for failing to ensure accuracy in tenant screening and security freeze practices, underscoring that credit bureaus can and will be held accountable when consumers are harmed by deficient reporting practices. 


These actions confirm that regulators are actively enforcing standards similar to those I am invoking here. 


Specific Unauthorized Inquiries Below is the list of entities that pulled my credit without my authorization : XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/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 XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX duplicate 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 XXXXXX/XX/XXXX Because I never authorized these pulls, and there is no factual basis for permissible purpose, they must be removed. 


Demands & Next Steps As a result of your failure to meet legal standards, I demand the following : XXXX. Immediate deletion of all above-listed unauthorized inquiries from my credit file at Experian. 


XXXX. A written response and documentation from you showing : Proof of my explicit, signed consent or application authorizing each inquiry, or A verifiable record validating a permissible purpose under FCRA for each inquiry. 



XXXX. A corrected credit report reflecting the removal of those inquiries. 


XXXX. Notification to all third parties who obtained or viewed my credit report within the last XXXX months that the information was inaccurate, and provision of a corrected version. 


XXXX. Assurance that Experian will cease reporting such unauthorized inquiries pending resolution and refrain from similar conduct in the future. 



If you again fail to remove these unauthorized inquiries or fail to provide acceptable proof, I will pursue : A private lawsuit under 15 U.S.C. 1681n ( willful violation ) and 1681o ( negligent violation ), seeking statutory, actual and punitive damages, plus attorneys fees and costs ; Formal complaint ( s ) and evidence submission to the CFPB Enforcement Division ( citing my original complaint # XXXX ), the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection , and the State Attorney Generals Office ; Potential class-action coordination if others are similarly impacted. 


This letter constitutes final notice of your obligation to correct these violations before further legal escalation.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation