EQUIFAX, INC.

2017-09-13

Mount Holly, OH

Improper use of your report

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

Reporting company used your report improperly
Complaint: Equifax did not properly secure my protected personal information from intrusion, such as through appropriate patching, 2-factor authentication at the point of service, segmentation of data, etc. As such, it appears my full name, Social Security numbers, birth date, addresses, and possibly driver license number is cross-matched to each other and in the hands of criminals who can use this data to breach any number of accounts in perpetuity such as my banking and financial data, medical data, legal complaints, political data, and any other number of sensitive accounts. Further, I am unable to secure these accounts because they ask for the very personal information that is breached in order to verify my identity and approve a change. Equifax is currently offering a limited credit monitoring service, which does n't even activate immediately. Even this had to be sought out by those who see the news reports, follow the news links to the Equifax page, which in turn link to a shady third-party website asking for 2/3 of one 's social security number plus last name and a waiver of all class action recourse in order to discover if one is among the breached accounts, only changed to waive class action recourse from the third party site if it too is breached with the sensitive data it is querying once the news of this spread. This is insufficient to the need created by their negligent protection of my information, which I did not give them myself, but which they curated as their business from other businesses. // In order to address this, I suggested : 1. Unlimited free credit freezes and unfreezes for life for all identified as being a victim of the breach in order to keep our credit accounts appropriately locked down, which is the time frame we are now at risk for identity fraud 2. Reimbursement for 3-bureau credit monitoring of my choosing for life up to a reasonable fee amount, including pulling my own report at any time with no charge and without any credit penalties 3. Support to proactively resolve any breaches identified on my accounts in perpetuity, which if necessary can be used by my heirs who might be dealing with a breached account following my death 4. Guidance on who to proactively reach out to and what can be done to protect myself from identity fraud in the future ( for example, setting up a newly unique security question and answer at all banks, doctors, dentists, political representatives, and places I have my credit card or other personal info on file ) along with case management assistance for accomplishing this if I request it 5. Commitment for leading the industry to using 2-factor authentication at the point of service in the near future ( such as by 2020 ) 6. Reimbursement for any fees directly associated with addressing the breach and any aftermath of it, in perpetuity, which if necessary can be used by my heirs who might be dealing with a breached account following my death 7. Correcting the security issue that allowed the breach 8. Due diligence to confirm that all affected are notified of the breach, it 's lifelong implications, and their options for support including through following up by letter, phone, and other resources as appropriate with any who do not opt-in or opt-out via notice through the news. Allowing easy opt-in at any time, not confined to a certain short period or burdensome process. 8. Thorough external audit for the security of all systems, databases, applications, processes, etc 9. Setting up a process by which people may opt themselves out of the company 's services and/or submit their own information directly to the company. Perhaps a separate database of people who are not placed on an external server could be kept for those who make this opt-out request.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Ft Myers, FL

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

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

Complaint: I 'm attempting to freeze mine and my wife 's credit reports with Equifax due to their data breach. Their web-site to do so does n't work, it errors out and says it ca n't be completed and their phones automatically hang up when I call them. I need to freeze our credit reports.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Delta Jct, AK

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.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Alta, CA

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. No American can sign up for any service or financial account without being validated by these three, so this is a forced requirement. Congress should federally mandate that credit freezes, unfreezes, and reporting be made available at no charge and with no conditional requirements ( ie : signing up for credit protection services offered by the agencies or their vendors XXXX. Our ability to BE American citizens relies on our ability to control our credit reporting. 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 allow breaches that can cause permanent financial and identity harm. Thank you for taking time to read my complaint.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Saybrook, IL

Incorrect information on your report

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

Public record information inaccurate
Complaint: I was a victim of Identity Theft. I filed a Identity Theft XXXX with XXXX, Equifax and XXXX. Their is a Bankruptcy on my XXXX XXXX that should not be there as I have never filed for a Bankruptcy. XXXX removed the Bankruptcy however XXXX and Equifax refused to remove it, AND ITS REPORTING " TWICE '' AS A DUPLICATE. I contacted the XXXX and they informed me that they do not have a Bankruptcy that matches my ID. They also informed me that they do not and did not report to any Credit Bureaus because the XXXX does not report to the Credit Bureaus. HOW CAN XXXX REMOVE THE BANKRUPTCY AND XXXX AND EQUIFAX DO NOT????
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

San Antonio, TX

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

Ft Belvoir, VA

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 an unacceptably lax job in the first place. Thank you for taking time to read my complaint.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Houston, TX

Unable to get your credit report or credit score

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

Other problem getting your report or credit score
Complaint: I am unable to obtain credit report, credit score through Equifax. Also unable to freeze my credit file as a result. I call customer service daily and transferred from one group to another. Each group says the other group will fix. I am caught in a constant loop of no action. Today I spent 2 hours and 45 minutes on the phone with Equifax. I get a " tech support '' confirmation number and start the wait all over again. No one at Equifax can tell me what is actually wrong with my credit file other than there is a " discrepancy '' in my information @ Equifax, however, the representative can not tell me what the discrepancy is. I confirm all of my information by phone and the rep says it matches - yet still can not obtain a copy of my Equifax credit file. No one within Equifax can explain why I am unable to obtain a copy of my report, score, etc. I am unable to file a dispute on my report for the same reason. I can not obtain a free copy. I have attempted to pay for the report and it will not process. Photos I have attached to this complaint are examples of the ongoing issue like today 's 2 hour and 41 minute call. The emails received from my credit card company reflecting the charge for a product and the Equifax email stating failure to process ( which is an internal Equifax issue, not a credit card payment issue ). A photo of my email inbox for today with all of the Equifax orders the representative attempted to process while we were on the phone, to no avail. And have included a photo of the error received when trying to file a dispute.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

OK

Improper use of your report

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

Reporting company used your report improperly
Complaint: This is due to the equifax security breech. This company needs to be held accountable for this breech as it has the potential to ruin thousands of XXXX lives. There needs to be serious discussion about the regulation of these companies. I find it absolutely ridiculous that we the public, have to pay to freeze our credit due to the ineptitude of these companies. This service should be free of charge, even more so now that our information has been jeopardized. XXXX 's website seemed to be pushing a product, instead of informing the customer that a security freeze was in their best interest. They are preying on ingnorance and this is unacceptable. I 'm sure you will get more complaints such as this, and I hope you listen. There needs to be a change with how these companies are delt with.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Reader, AR

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: Basically the credit bureau 's are reporting duplicated and some triplets of the same accounts. There a errors being reported and they have fail to correct.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Seattle, WA

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

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

Complaint: In the wake of the Equifax hack, affecting 143million accounts, I have attempted to place a credit freeze with all three major credit reporting agencies. I have gotten a busy signal multiple times or their site has been down. It is unacceptable that I can not place a security freeze on my account because a company valued at > $ 1billion can not accept calls ( nor keep its personal data secure in the first place ). These attempts at a phone call or website access have taken place multiple times from Mon ( XX/XX/XXXX ) to Weds ( XX/XX/XXXX ).
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

NV

Improper use of your report

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

Reporting company used your report improperly
Complaint: Equifax failed to adequately protect my personal identifying information, then compounded the issue by failing to encrypt the data in a reasonable manner that would protect it in the event of a breach. This has led to an incredibly high likelihood that the necessary information to steal my identity has suffered a permanent exposure. After discovering the breach, Equifax ( XXXX XXXX, XXXX ) waited over a month to announce that the event had occurred ( XXXX XXXX, XXXX ), and then is requiring the affected consumers ( 143 million ) to jump through hoops in order to freeze their credit and protect themselves.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Rochester, WA

Improper use of your report

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

Reporting company used your report improperly
Complaint: My credit information, personal identifying information, and financial history were compromised in the XXXX Equifax breach. As a result I 've placed security freezes with the XXXX credit agencies, totaling {$31.00} in fees.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

NV

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

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

Complaint: It is ridiculous that as a consumer i have to pay to freeze my credit. There 's no reason i should be paying, especially when outside businesses are the ones making errors letting personal info get out. A credit freeze and unfreeze should be free.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

E Somerville, MA

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

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. 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

San Francisco, CA

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

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

Complaint: Equifax, in their gross incompetence, has not only given away my personal information ( along with that of 143m+ people ), they also are unable to confirm whether I am at risk or not. They set up a phony website for users to check if they are impacted but the site literally delivers random results and gives me opposite answers each time I try it out. I 've tried to put a freeze on my credit through them multiple times but neither their website or telephone system work. The government needs to step in and help consumers with this potentially disastrous situation.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

New Britain, CT

Improper use of your report

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

Reporting company used your report improperly
Complaint: Equifax, as the victim of a XXXX 2017 cyber attack, lost roughly 143 million customers data to hackers. Names, birth days, address, ssns, and driver 's license numbers were access. Credit card numbers as well. Reports indicate that Equifax took over a month to respond to consumers, may stand to profit from the event by rollovers from free credit monitoring services, and user 's must forego their right to participate in a class action lawsuit to get said services. In response, I am filing this complaint and putting a fraud alert on my accounts with the other credit bureaus.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Dallas, TX

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

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

Complaint: XXXX XXXX, 2017 I have tried both online and over the phone to freeze my credit records ( for days ). In both cases with Equifax and XXXX the response has been " not available at this time '', " check back later ''. Experts are now advising to freeze your credit files to avoid identity theft. You need to check this out for yourself. Have been successful with XXXX over the phone, however, their was a {$10.00} charge.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

NC

Improper use of your report

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

Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize
Complaint: I wish I knew what has happened. I was recently denied a loan due to excessive inquiries ( my score is around XXXX XXXX. I did just recently purchase a new vehicle and knew I would have a couple of inquiries but I was told by the loan XXXX that I have over XXXX hard hits in my credit. I called the car dealer and he assured me I only was sent out to XXXX banks. I am getting letters in the mail about loans that I have n't even applied for. When I tried to pull my credit report to review these items so I could dispute them, I ca n't pull my report. After checking into this, I am evidentially XXXX of the XXXX XXXX affected by the recent information hack at equifax. So I ca n't even check my own credit to dispute the illegitimate inquiries. I do n't know if my personal information has been compromised or if a dishonest dealer hammered my credit. But they should have told me. I would like to see these items removed because the high number is impacting my score by around XXXX points, and as a business owner this is critics. Thank you.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

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

Portland, OR

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

Brooklyn, NY

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 filed a dispute with case number XXXX with Equifax. The case was responded to and closed today the XXXX of XXXX 2017. As usual of Equifax, they have refused to do any investigative work to resolve this issue. I attached letters from the company that did a hard inquiry into my file asking Equifax to delete the records. I am submitting these letters again for Equifax to revisit. I wish to plead with CFPB to compel this company to do the right thing and save us time. I intend to file a suit to compel them to remove these items since the company involved issued letters to that effect.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Oxford, GA

Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

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

Complaint: Am I correct that I am required to pay for a freeze on my credit for XXXX and XXXX? I discovered this only after I had to navigate around a service XXXX wanted me to pay for ( XXXX ) as an alternative to freezing my credit. It seems as though these credit reporting agencies are attempting to take full advantage of this Equifax hack situation. Equifax should foot the bill for these credit freezes that put at least 143 million ( most likely many more ) identities at risk for theft. At {$3.00} per freeze, these agencies stand to make XXXX XXXX XXXX of dollars as a result of this.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-09-13

Arlington, NY

Improper use of your report

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

Reporting company used your report improperly
Complaint: Equifax allowed critical personal information to be released on over 50 % of the population United States. This is absolutely deplorable! It is important to note that consumers such as me even lost passwords to key business sites including retirement accounts, credit cards and even their email providers. I know this for a fact! Within two days of this breech, Equifax Board members sold some of their stock. Consumers did not learn of this for about 75 days! Equifax as a company should not be allowed to exist. It should not be allow to simply change its name. Equifax board members, executives, information technology staff and other employees involved should be punished for what they have done to the citizens of our country. In the future, Equifax, XXXX, XXXX and similar companies must have comprehensive review and oversight.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response