Consumer complaint received 2025-11-19 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: Affirm Holdings, Inc
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this detailed complaint because the derogatory account being reported under AFFIRM INC, with the identifying reference number XXXX, is inaccurate, incomplete, unverified, and appears to have been reported and verified using methods that do not comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ), the Consumer Financial Protection Act ( CFPA ), and the legally required standards for data governance and consumer identity verification.

This account has been reported as a collection/charge-off, and I had no prior knowledge or documented proof of this alleged obligation. The information being furnished has caused real financial harm, and despite attempts to dispute the accuracy of the reporting, the responses I received were inadequate and raise concerns of improper verification, procedural errors, insufficient documentation, and potential mishandling of consumer data.

Below is a detailed description of what happened, what was disputed, what responses were provided, and why the account must be fully reinvestigated.

I. No Knowledge, No Agreement, and No Proof of Authorization The core issue is that AFFIRM INC has never provided any original documentation proving that I opened or authorized any account associated with reference XXXX. At no point did I receive : A copy of any original credit application A signed agreement or contract Digital application records IP logs or device authentication data Purchase receipts Billing statements Notification of delinquency Any legally required negative-information notices In order for a furnisher to lawfully report a consumer tradeline, they must maintain verifiable evidence that I was the person who opened the account. That evidence has not been provided, and the bureaus did not require it before continuing to publish the derogatory information. 

A debt can not simply be assumed to exist because a furnisher claims so. Under federal law, it must be supported by verifiable, original documentation.

II. Failure to Validate Identity and Ownership of the Account Because AFFIRM accounts often involve online or app-based purchases, the company is required to maintain : Identity verification steps completed during account opening Multifactor authentication logs Digital footprint data Date/time stamps Device fingerprinting Geolocation indicators Confirmation of KYC ( Know-Your-Customer ) compliance Records of the consumers agreement to repayment terms None of this has been provided to me. Without those records, the account can not be legitimately tied to me.

The complete absence of identity authentication documents raises the possibility of : Identity theft Mistaken identity Mixed-file errors Erroneously linked accounts Data furnished without proper authorization Systemic reporting errors AFFIRM INC must demonstrate how they confirmed the account belonged to me. They have not.

III. Account Dates, Balances, and Information Are Inconsistent The reporting associated with XXXX contains serious inconsistencies : Incomplete or missing opening date No clear date of alleged default No itemized breakdown of transaction history No confirmed payment records No description of the merchant involved Unexplained delinquency timeline Inaccurate data violates FCRA 602 ( A ) and 607 ( b ). Furnishers must ensure maximum accuracy before reporting, yet AFFIRM INC provided the credit bureaus with incomplete and unverifiable data.

These irregularities indicate that the furnisher may not have performed any adequate internal audit before sending negative data to the credit reporting agencies.

IV. My Dispute Was Not Properly Investigated After discovering the account on my credit file, I filed formal disputes with the consumer reporting agencies. However, the dispute results came back as verified in a timeframe that strongly suggests no real investigation was conducted.

The FCRA mandates a full, reasonable reinvestigation, which requires : Reviewing documentation submitted by the consumer Requesting full documentation from the furnisher Comparing consumer claim with furnisher data Providing a written explanation of what evidence was reviewed Disclosing the method of verification upon request None of these steps were properly completed.

The bureau responses simply repeated the furnishers data without offering : A method of verification report Proof that AFFIRM INC provided original contracts System logs from AFFIRM An investigation reference ID Names or credentials of personnel who performed the review This suggests the investigation was handled improperly through automated systems such as e-Oscar, which is notorious for its failure to conduct real reinvestigations.

V. Likely Improper Use of e-Oscar Verification Industry-wide, many disputes are processed using a platform called e-Oscar. While the system is efficient for bulk data handling, it is ineffective for ensuring accuracy because : Disputes are often reduced to two- or three-digit codes Furnishers may only respond with verified without reviewing documentation Supporting documents provided by consumers are often not forwarded to furnishers Automated responses take the place of real investigation The timeline of my dispute resolution suggests AFFIRM INC did not provide original supporting documentation to the bureau. Instead, it appears that automated responses were used to verify the account without verifying its legitimacy.

This violates FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ).

VI. No Legally Required Notice of Negative Reporting Under FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 7 ), a furnisher must notify the consumer before negative information is reported to the credit bureaus.

AFFIRM INC never sent : A delinquency notice A notice of intent to report negative data Any billing notices prior to reporting Any communication indicating I owed a debt If negative reporting was done without legally required notice, it is a standalone compliance violation.

VII. No Evidence of an Attempt to Collect or Contact Me AFFIRM INC has never contacted me through : Phone Email Mail Text Statements Payment reminders A company can not legally claim I owe a debt if they have never attempted to notify me of that debt. This suggests one of three possibilities : The account does not belong to me.

AFFIRM INC has insufficient documentation.

AFFIRM INC furnished information to the credit bureaus without following FDCPA and FCRA rules.

Any of these possibilities would invalidate the reporting.

VIII. Failure to Provide Itemized Charges or Transaction Details AFFIRM INC has not provided any breakdown of : The merchant where the purchase allegedly occurred What was bought The purchase date How the amount was calculated How interest or fees were applied Payment history, if any A legally enforceable debt must be supported by itemized documentation. Without it, a debt can not be verified or collected.

IX. Possible Data Governance Failure The presence of similar AFFIRM accounts on a consumer file, combined with repeated inability to provide documentation, has been associated with known issues such as : Duplicate data reporting Misapplied consumer identifiers Incorrect file matching Incomplete purge of previously disputed information Technical errors in batch reporting Any of these errors can cause false derogatory data to appear on a file.

AFFIRM INC must be compelled to show : The exact system used to furnish data The date the data was transmitted The accuracy checks performed Internal logs proving data integrity The identity-matching criteria used Without these details, the verification can not be considered reliable.

X. Evidence Suggests Reporting Was Done Without Validation Based on everything described : No contract No proof of identity or authorization No billing statements No notices No attempts to collect Inconsistent data fields Automated verification It appears AFFIRM INC furnished a derogatory account without validating it first. This is prohibited under : FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) Duty to provide accurate information FCRA 623 ( b ) Duty to investigate CFPA 1036 Prohibition against unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts FCRA 607 ( b ) Maximum accuracy requirement If AFFIRM INC can not validate the account now, that means it was never validated before reporting it.

XI. Harm Caused by the Inaccurate Reporting The reporting of AFFIRM INC XXXX as a derogatory account has caused : Lower credit score Higher interest rates Hardship obtaining approvals Negative impacts on insurance premiums Emotional XXXX  Damage to financial reputation Loss of economic opportunity Under federal law, data furnishers must compensate consumers for harm caused by negligent or willful noncompliance. 

XII. Request for Full CFPB-Level Investigation I am requesting that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau examine the following : What documentation AFFIRM INC provided to link XXXX to me Whether any original contract exists Whether any transactions exist How identity was authenticated Whether automated systems were used in disputes Whether AFFIRM INC followed required FCRA furnishing procedures Whether the company can produce a full method of verification Whether proper notice was given prior to negative reporting Whether the debt is legitimate, valid, and attributable to me If AFFIRM INC can not produce original, authentic, legally valid documentation proving this account belongs to me, the reporting must be removed.

XIII. Summary To summarize : I did not authorize, open, or sign for any account with the reference XXXX. 

No documentation has been provided proving ownership. 

The furnisher failed to validate identity.

The dispute investigation was inadequate.

AFFIRM INC failed to follow FCRA and CFPA requirements.

The account is unverified and appears to have been reported improperly.

The reporting has caused significant financial and personal harm.

I respectfully request a full CFPB investigation into AFFIRM INCs reporting, documentation, methods, and compliance practices for this account. If the furnisher can not prove the account belongs to me, it must be deleted immediately.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation