Consumer complaint received 2025-11-25 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Unable to get your credit report or credit score — Problem getting your free annual credit report
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
I have been unable to receive my free credit report from Equifax for 9 months now, since XX/XX/XXXX. 
The problem started when I left California, where I had resided for a number of years prior. Equifax just somehow refuses to believe that I am still me. 
Initially I traveled to New Jersey, where I stayed for a short time, but had to use Equifax identity verification for XXXX XXXX XXXX. At the time, I called Equifax on the phone and convinced them I was me. 
In XXXX, I tried to log into my credit report, which I have previously done in two prior years with no issue. But the site did not recognize me, and confronted me with bits of information to choose from that were not mine. I suspect that some of them may have to do with the XXXX XXXX ( I am XXXX  and also live in the XXXX part of the year ) and Equifax is also confusing " me '' in the US with what they know about the XXXX " me ). 
Equifax said that they need to send me verification code by US mail to log into my credit report. Somehow I guess I tried twice, because after that I received two codes at my old California address, which were forwarded to me in New Jersey. 
In XXXX, I decided to move to Florida and did so. 
In Florida, I decided to utilize the codes that Equifax sent me by US mail to access the credit report ( they were still valid based on their expiration dates ), but was unsuccessful, the system kept saying that I need to call Equifax.

Which I did, but this was very frustrating, I spent hours on the phone with a representative who spoke virtually no English and repeated nonsense. They kept insisting that I live at some California address, which was not even my last California address, and not a residential address at all, but a mailbox service I once used for 3 months in XXXX. They had an email for me which I struggled to get access to, because it was on my old phone which would no longer turn on. They did have my then-correct phone number, and were insisting that they sent me some code on it, but I have not received any.

I had thought this is what TWO codes by mail were for, but clearly not. 
I then - still in XX/XX/XXXX - made a photo of myself holding my CA drivers license and my SSN card, and separate copies of both, and sent them to Equifax in a letter via registered mail, along with a lease for a new apartment I had just rented in Florida, a description of emotional distress and suffering they so far caused, and a letter threatening legal action if they did not provide me with a credit report. The letter was marked as a complaint in large letters.

However this did not end distress and suffering and did not produce a credit report.

On the contrary, since then things turned truly XXXX. 
I received back a letter that did not address anything I have written at all, did not acknowledge my complaint or documents send.

Instead, it thanked me for my " dispute '' of information in my report -- I wish!! I had not see the report in two years, so how can I dispute anything in it?! - and said that my address does not match their records and that is why I need
to send in a copy of my ID, SSN and proof of address. ALL OF WHICH I ALREADY DID but the letter did not mention it.

Well, it said SSN " must not have any DHS endorsements '', but mine does not have any ( I am a lawful permanent resident of the US ). 
In the end of XXXX, I wrote another letter to Equifax, again describing that I did NOT dispute anything, nor could I have done, because they refuse to show me the report! And that I am entitled to my report and demand that they provide it. I enclosed again, copies of my CA driving license ( I never got around to changing it ), my SSN card and an ORIGINAL gas bill already received at the new FL address.

If you think THAT produced my credit report, you are mistaken.

Equifax once again did not acknowledge my correspondence or anything I have sent.

I received EXACTLY the same letter, advising me that my information does not match what they have on file so I am getting zilch.

How else on Earth am I supposed to prove I am me? I have a REAL ID drivers license, a clean original SSN card, a green card, a lease, and a whole host of gas and electric bills, but every time I send these things Equifax does not acknowledge them and refuses to believe I am me ( even the photo of me holding those documents did not help ). They then send me back the exact same letter.

Equifax clearly continues to believe things about me that are incorrect - but I AM me and I KNOW BETTER where I live or do not live, clearly with their idea that I " live '' at a
7-year old mailbox service, Equifax does NOT know better.

What, just because I never lived in Florida before, it is improbable that I would move there now, when I am XXXX? 
I am a licensed real estate agent in the state of Florida, and my address is on public record with a real estate license database, they can check Florida XXXX online, search by name. Why is it so hard to believe?

Just because clearly Equifax is very bad at what they do, and their information is junk, does not mean I should not be able to prove by ANY means - and I tried every means possible- that I am me!

I have now been in FL for over 6 months, but continue to be unable to log into Equifax despite my address likely having been already reported. I just tried this week to no avail, same message about calling them, same vicious circle. I am seriously concerned now that my report has been locked or frozen or taken over by someone else. I noticed my Equifax score reported by lenders is lower than other agencies too.

I have NOT had the same difficulty obtaining my information with ANY other credit bureaus or consumer reporting agencies. It is ONLY Equifax.

This is unlawful, and unless they provide my report IMMEDIATELY- they can check their correspondence for NUMEROUS proof of identity and address I actually sent, including complaints they did not acknowledge, as well as FL real estate agent database - I AM bringing action not only for failure to provide report, but for causing enormous amount of distress.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation