Consumer complaint received 2025-02-10 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: VA

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting a formal complaint regarding the improper use of my credit report by the credit XXXX agency and XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) for failing to ensure that a collection debt was valid before reporting it. On XX/XX/year>, XXXX reported a Collections account on my credit report with a balance of {$2900.00} ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  ). The reported address for this company is XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, MO XXXX, and their listed phone number is ( XXXX ) XXXX. 

This debt has been previously disputed and removed from my credit report, yet it has been re-reported without any verification, which is a direct violation of my consumer rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1681i ) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) ( 15 U.S.C. 1692g ). 

Violations & Issues Failure to Validate the Debt Before Reporting National Credit Management has never provided proper validation of this debt, as required under 15 U.S.C. 1692g of the FDCPA. I have not received a legally binding contract or any proof that I owe this amount. Reporting a debt without first verifying its validity is a clear violation of consumer protection laws. 

Improper Use of My Credit Report by the Credit Reporting Agency The credit reporting agency failed to ensure the validity of this collection debt before including it on my credit report. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), credit bureaus must maintain reasonable procedures to ensure the accuracy of information they report. The fact that this debt was previously removed and then reinserted without proper certification or notice means they did not meet their legal obligations. 

Re-Reporting of a Previously Removed Debt Without Notification Under 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 5 ) ( B ), if a previously deleted debt is re-reported, the credit reporting agency must obtain certification from the furnisher ( NCM ) that the debt is valid and provide me with written notification within five business days. This did not happen, which means the re-reporting was done improperly. 

Misrepresentation of Debt & Reporting of an Unverified Account If this debt was sold to a third party, XXXX XXXX XXXX no longer has ownership, and they have no direct contractual agreement with me. Under 15 U.S.C. 1692e ( 8 ), it is illegal to report false or misleading information about a debt. If they can not prove that I legally owe them this amount, they must remove it immediately. 
Requested Actions XXXX XXXX XXXX must immediately remove this collection account from my credit report since they have failed to verify it. 

The credit reporting agency must immediately delete this collection account from my report, as it was placed there irresponsibly without proper validation. 
I request that the CFPB investigate these violations and hold both XXXX XXXX XXXX and the credit reporting agency accountable for violating the FCRA and FDCPA. 

If XXXX XXXX XXXX claims this debt is valid, they must provide a signed contract proving I agreed to owe this amountotherwise, they have no legal basis to report it. No contract, no debt. 

If this issue is not resolved, I will escalate my complaint to the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) and explore legal action against both XXXX XXXX XXXX and the credit reporting agency for violating federal consumer protection laws. 

I expect a written response within 30 days, as required by law. This complaint needs to be addressed immediately to correct the improper use of my credit report.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief