EQUIFAX, INC.

2017-09-13

San Diego, CA

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Complaint: In light of the recent data breach at I think it 's unfair that I have to pay to freeze and thaw my credit report three separate times when the information I am paying to freeze/thaw is information I never asked to be collected in the first place. Why is it my responsibility to pay to protect the accuracy of unwarranted data collection by a third party? I 'm at risk of having my identity stolen and the only protection is for me to pay money to three companies, one of which has already proven itself to be incompetent. This is ridiculous and I think legislative action needs to be taken now to prevent further disasters like this.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Chicago, IL

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

MD

Improper use of your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Received unsolicited financial product or insurance offers after opting out
Complaint: Equifax and XXXX are making it exceptionally difficult to freeze my credit and charge money for it even though their lack of security and them gathering my information is why I want my credit frozen in the first place.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

San Francisco, CA

Credit monitoring or identity theft protection services

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Problem with product or service terms changing
Complaint: After the Equifax leak, all credit bureau 's should make all aspects of freezing consumer credit, free of charge. Freezing, temporary lifts, and removals, should all be free.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

AR

Improper use of your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Reporting company used your report improperly
Complaint: Hello, Recently I was part of the Equifax credit information hacking. It really astounds me that a private company can stand to profit from their own mistake in that I have to PAY to freeze my credit when I did n't consent to my information being stored by Equifax. Additionally, I would like to know why it took them months to tell us ( not even personally, only by news outlets )? Thanks
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Frenchville, PA

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Complaint: I was part of the Equifax credit information hack. I find it unacceptable that I have to PAY to freeze my credit when I did n't consent to my information being stored by Equifax, XXXX, or XXXX in the first place. Congress should make credit freezes and unfreezes free federally. Credit reporting agencies already make money off of my information and I should not be required to pay them additional money to protect my information, especially when they are doing a POOR job in the first place. Thank you for taking time to read my complaint.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Leeton, UT

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Complaint: I was part of the Equifax credit information hack. I find it unacceptable that I have to PAY to freeze my credit when I did n't consent to my information being stored by Equifax, XXXX, or XXXX in the first place. Congress should make credit freezes and unfreezes free federally. Credit reporting agencies already make money off of my information and I should not be required to pay them additional money to protect my information, especially when they are doing a POOR job in the first place. Thank you for taking time to read my complaint.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Parkland, WA

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Portland, OR

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Cherry Brook, MA

Improper use of your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Reporting company used your report improperly
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

San Jose, CA

Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Investigation took more than 30 days
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Chicago, IL

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Complaint: I was part of the Equifax credit information hack. I find it unacceptable that I have to PAY to freeze my credit when I did n't consent to my information being stored by Equifax, XXXX, or XXXX in the first place. Congress should make credit freezes and unfreezes free federally. Credit reporting agencies already make money off of my information and I should not be required to pay them additional money to protect my information, especially when they are doing a POOR job in the first place. Thank you for taking time to read my complaint.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Franklin Lks, NJ

Improper use of your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Reporting company used your report improperly
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

FL

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Complaint: I was part of the Equifax credit information hack. It is unacceptable that I have to PAY to freeze my credit when I did n't consent to my information being stored by Equifax, XXXX, or XXXX in the first place. I am writing to demand that credit freezes and unfreezes be made free for individuals on which these credit companies store information. These companies already collect and sell our data, in an industry where their services are required. I ( nor any other consumer ) should be required to pay these companies to protect my information when, through their own errors, they lose the information they have been collecting without my consent anyway.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Oxford, GA

Improper use of your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Reporting company used your report improperly
Complaint: I was part of the Equifax credit information hack. I find it unacceptable that I have to PAY to freeze my credit when I did n't consent to my information being stored by Equifax, XXXX, or XXXX in the first place. Congress should make credit freezes and unfreezes free federally. Credit reporting agencies already make money off of my information and I should not be required to pay them additional money to protect my information, especially when they are doing a POOR job in the first place. Thank you for taking time to read my complaint.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

E Palo Alto, CA

Improper use of your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Reporting company used your report improperly
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

San Francisco, CA

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Public record information inaccurate
Complaint: In XXXX XXXX, I found that there was a tax lien on my credit from the state of Illinois for {$96000.00}. I had never owed any debts to Illinois, so I contacted the state to see if the lien was related to identity theft. After a series of unhelpful conversations with state employees, someone in the revenue department finally informed me that I owed Illinois income taxes from XXXX in the amount of {$960.00}. The figure on my credit report, {$90000.00}, is apparently an error by the reporting agency. I moved out of Illinois in XXXX, and have never received any notice of any kind from the state of Illinois, including any notice of past tax debt or liens. Because I was on IL unemployment for all of XXXX and Illinois had automatically withheld my taxes from those payments automatically, I knew the claimed back tax debt to be in error. Illinois XXXX XXXX XXXX employee XXXX XXXX emailed me in response to my inquiries, and told me I 'd have to submit proof of withholding to have the debt cleared. I dug up old tax returns and IL unemployment documents to show that I had never owed the tax, and sent them to XXXX XXXX. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX told me via email that all collection activity would cease and the lien would be removed once the cleared debt was processed by his department. I checked multiple times to be clear that no payment was required and that I had no outstanding debt to the state of Illinois. This week, I was checking my credit in response to the recent Equifax data loss, and found that the IL tax lien is still listed on my credit report as a balance due. I contacted XXXX XXXX in reference to our previous conversations, and he told me I 'd need to take it up with the IL XXXX XXXX. I reached the IL XXXX XXXX at the number XXXX XXXX provided, and was re-directed to another office called the " IL XXXX XXXX XXXX. '' A rep at that unit told me he saw the notes, correspondence, and documents in my file from XXXX XXXX, but that the matter had still not been processed or the lien removed. Worse, I w as told that once the matter was resolved, it would still show on my credit as a tax lien that had been paid off, rather than being removed completely. I am now attempting to apply for a mortgage to buy a home, and can not get one due to the adverse impact on my credit from this erroneous lien.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

MN

Credit monitoring or identity theft protection services

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Billing dispute for services
Complaint: It is unjust that 3 businesses can have access to such personal and potentially damaging information such as my Social Security Number, and be so careless with the security of these sensitive materials. Even more unjust is that in the wake of their negligence, we the consumer, must pay $ XXXX {$10.00} simply to institute a credit freeze, which at this point is a syringe of water to extinguish the forest fire that is our lack of adequate protections. If a credit freeze is my only option in the wake of these companies ' negligence to properly secure our information, then it should at least be free.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Olpe, KS

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Complaint: I am trying to get all three credit reporting companies to put a security freeze on my report, as I have checked with Equifax who have admitted that my information has been compromised in their latest security breach. None of Equifax, XXXX or XXXX XXXX website will complete my online requests. I have tried some of them multiple times, but they will not freeze my report.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Calumet Park, IL

Improper use of your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Reporting company used your report improperly
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Atlanta, GA

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Complaint: I was part of the Equifax credit information hack. I find it unacceptable that I have to PAY to freeze my credit when I did n't consent to my information being stored by Equifax, XXXX, or XXXX in the first place. XXXX should make credit freezes and unfreezes free federally. Credit reporting agencies already make money off of my information and I should not be required to pay them additional money to protect my information, especially when they are doing a POOR job in the first place. Thank you for taking time to read my complaint.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Branchburg, NJ

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Scottsdale, AZ

Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Complaint: I have disputed this account multiple times with eqifax and XXXX XXXX. I asked them for to verify and send me proof this account is mine. They keep sending a bill what is not proof this account is mine. According to section 609 Credit agencies must verify this is my account. A screen shot is not a verifiable proof this account is mine. I would like for XXXX XXXX and eqifax to delete this off my credit report.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

La Fayette, IN

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Clarksville, MO

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Complaint: Hello, I am writing this to hopefully receive assistance in placing a credit freeze on my credit. I have attempted to use the online and telephone services that are provided by the three credit bureaus, however, I am finding that it is becoming more and more frustrating to protect my own credit history because they are being deceptive. My only option left is to gather all the required papers and mail them to each individual bureau and pay them {$30.00} ( {$5.00} ea. for me and my significant other ) plus shipping to fix their mistake that they made when they allowed all of our credit histories and information to be hacked. On top of this, because my stolen information has n't been used against me yet, I am unable to file a report with the law enforcement agency in my area. So I am stuck paying to fix their mistake. And to add to this grief, in the future when I plan to request a business loan and a mortgage after that, I will have to pay out of my pocket to temporarily lift the credit freeze. And as each day goes by after this hack, the credit bureaus are updating their websites to make it harder to freeze your credit and easier to pay for their credit monitoring services. I do not want to pay for a credit monitoring service from a credit bureau that has already lost 100 % of my trust. I just want to freeze my credit, plain and simple. Why is that so much to ask for? I will also be living in a constant state of worry as to where my information has gone and how it can be used against me. This is not okay. And I believe a large majority of Americans who fully understand the gravity of this situation would agree with me in that there has to be some change implemented to alleviate the burden off of American victims. As well as to make sure that the companies that are to blame for this are held responsible for their wrongdoings. Why am I, the consumer and the victim, placed with the short end of the stick in every aspect of this situation? And how can I even trust that this will not continue to happen in other aspects of my financial life? Thank you for taking the time to read my situation, I sincerely hope that you can help me and every other person that is affected by this. PS : I have also attached screenshots below that prove that XXXX changed their web page after the hacking news was brought to light on XXXX/XXXX/2017. They changed their website to make it more difficult for people to freeze their credit, and they made it easier to pay for their credit monitoring services instead.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response