Consumer complaint received 2024-11-08 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:
This is my second attempt in regards of attempting to obtain remedy for the willful violations that are listed that XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  which sold my non-public personal information to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and Equifax Credit Bureaus that are listed below. Firstly, I would like to address the issue of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX and XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX violating my privacy under the PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 by reporting my non-public personal information which is defined from the source 15 U.S.C . 6809 ( 4 ) ( A ) as the following : THE " TERM NONPUBLIC PERSONAL INFORMATION " MEANS PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE FINANCIAL INFORMATION -- ( i ) provided by a consumer to a financial institution ( i ) provided by a consumer to a financial institution ; ( ii ) resulting from ANY TRANSACTION WITH THE CONSUMER OR ANY SERVICE PERFORMED FOR THE CONSUMER ; OR ( iii ) OTHERWISE OBTAINED BY THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTION to my consumer credit report. Especially considering the fact that I have exercised my consumer rights TWICE to OPT OUT of any and all authorized previous consent that I the consumer may have given them, written or non-written verbal or non-verbal, per 15 U.S.C. 6802. Failing to honor my demand of expressing my consumer right to opt out of my non-public personal information being exchanged and traded gives me the right to express and exercise 15 U.S.C. 1681n is a section of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) that specifically focuses on the willful noncompliance of anyone who is subject to the FCRA. In addition to addressing this same issue of reporting my non public personal information, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and Equifax Credit Bureaus are in violation of 15 U.S.C. 1681b - PERMISSIBLE PURPOSES OF CONSUMER REPORTS which states : Subject to subsection ( c ), any consumer reporting agency may furnish a consumer report under the following circumstances and no other : ( 2 ) IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS OF THE CONSUMER TO WHOM IT RELATES. This means that they need my written consent to add anything to my consumer report which I REVOKED their authorization which is a violation of FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT. Also, PUBLIC LISTING 90-321 ( 82 Stat. 146 ) which is a law that backs 15 U.S.C. 1681b, is even stricter as it states that any agency can ONLY get my report in response to a request by the head of State or local child support enforcement agency ( or a State or local government official authorized by the head of such an agency. ) In my 1st attempt to seek remedy with this issue, I wrote a letter to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  opting out of any previous consent that I may have given them, verbal and non-verbal written and non-written of sharing my non-public personal information to XXXX XXXX XXXX Equifax, XXXX, and all 3rd party affiliates and non-affiliates. Their act of being non-compliant to my consumer right of the ability to opt out of my non-public information being shared has resulted in them willfully sharing my non-public personal information to XXXX XXXX XXXX which has made illegal and harmful derogatory remarks on my consumer credit report with XXXX, XXXX, and Equifax by reporting this account status as being in collection/charge-off since XX/XX/XXXX reported by XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX reporting by XXXX and Equifax, which is another willful violation from the credit bureaus themselves. Their admitting to this principal account being charged off, which is a certificate of indebtedness, proves that this account is considered being charged off taxable income per IRS PUBLICATION XXXX ( XXXX ) which also states that the debtor may need to report the canceled amount as income on their tax return. WITH THAT BEING SAID, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX REPEAT, HAS NOT FURNISHED ME WITH MY COPY OF A XXXX FROM THE INITIAL DATE OF THEM PLACING THE ACCOUNT INTO A CHARGED OFF STATUS WHICH IS XX/XX/XXXX AND I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED A COPY OF A XXXX AS THE I.R.S.INSTRUCTIONS FOR FORMS XXXX AND XXXX GIVES INSTRUCTION OF WHO IS RESPONSIBLE OF FILLING A XXXX, which I will attach a copy of in this complaint. Secondly, I will address the XXXX attempt issue of XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, Equifax, and Equifax Credit Bureaus willfully violating my privacy under THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974.

Part 1016 - PRIVACY OF CONSUMERS FINANCIAL INFORMATION ( REGULATION P ) of the Privacy Act of 1974 states the following : 12 CFR 1016.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE.

( a ) Purpose. This Part governs the treatment of NONPUBLIC PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT CONSUMERS BY THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS listed in paragraph ( b ) of this section. This part : ( 1 ) REQUIRES A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION OT PROVIDE NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS ABOUT ITS PRIVACY POLICIES AND PRACTICES ; ( 3 ) PROVIDES A METHOD FOR CONSUMERS TO PREVENT A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION FROM DISCLOSING THAT INFORMATION TO MOST NONAFFILIATED THIRD PARTIES BY " OPTING OUT '' OF THAT DISCLOSURE. 12 CFR 1016.7 FORM OF OPT OUT NOTICE TO CONSUMERS ; OPT OUT METHODS. Section ( a ) ( 1 ) FORM OF OPT OUT NOTICE states the following : If you are required to provided an opt out notice under U.S.C. 1016.10 ( a ), you must provide A CLEAR AND CONSPICUOUS NOTICE to each of your consumers that accurately explains the right to opt out under that section. The notice MUST STATE : ( ii ) THAT THE CONSUMER HAS THE RIGHT TO OPT OUT OF THAT DISCLOSURE ; AND ( iii ) A REASONABLE MEANS BY WHICH THE CONSUMER MAY EXERCISE THE OPT OUT RIGHT. With that being said, Yet they have included in their privacy policy online a statement adivsing consumers to contact them in order to review, access, correct, delete, port, or object to their processing your personal information processed by them and lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, they have failed to perform as required under 12 CFR 1067.7 subsection ( a ) ( 1 ) FORM OF OPT-OUT NOTICE.1016.10 ( a ) ( 1 ) of the Privacy Act of 1974 a CLEAR AND CONSPICUOUS NOTICE to each of their consumers that accurately explains the right to opt-out under this section.In addition to this violation, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX have violated section 12 CFR 1016.7 sub-section ( 2 ) EXAMPLES ( iii ) UNREASONABLE MEANS which states : YOU DO NOT PROVIDE A REASONABLE MEANS OF OPTING OUT IF : ( A ) THE MEANS OF OPTING OUT IS FOR THE CONSUMER TO WRITE HIS OR HER OWN LETTER TO EXERCISE THAT OPT OUT RIGHT : OR ( B ) THE ONLY MEANS OF OPTING OUT AS DESCRIBED IN ANY NOTICE SUBSEQUENT TO THE NOTICE IS TO USE A CHECK-OFF BOX THAT YOU PROVIDED WITH THE INITIAL NOTICE BUT DID NOT INCLUDE WITH SUBSEQUENT NOTICE. According to 12 CFR 1016.7 ( h ) Continuing right to opt out. A consumer may exercise the right to opt-out at any time. Therefore, by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, and Equifax not complying with my exercising my consumer right to Opt-Out they are in violation of the Privacy Act of 1974 as previously mentioned in my first complaint against them. I also have enclosed copies of XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 's mention of their privacy policy which DOES NOT INCLUDE A CLEAR AND CONSPICIOUS consumer right of them transferring my non-public personal information to XXXX, XXXX, Equifax, and all third-party affiliates and non-affiliates. In closing, under 12 CFR 1016.7 ( i ) Duration of consumer 's opt-out direction. 
( 1 ) A consumer 's direction to opt-out under this section is effective until the consumer revokes it in writing or, if the consumer agrees, electronically, therefore, I AM EXPRESSING MY RIGHT TO OPT-OUT FROM FROM XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, AND EQUIFAX FROM REPORTING XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( WHICH WAS SOLD TO XXXX XXXX XXXX ) ONTO MY CONSUMER CREDIT REPORT. According to 15 U.S.Code 6805 - Enforcement ( a ) In general ; This subchapter and the regulations prescribed thereunder shall be enforced by the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, the Federal functional regulators, the XXXX XXXX authorities, and the Federal Trade Commission with respect to financial institutions and other persons subject to their jurisdiction under applicable law, meaning it is the responsibility of the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to enforce all of the violations that have been mentioned.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief