I have struggled with identity theft for years myself and I have also had issues with Equifax. To me, it sounds like you might have a mixed or split file situation, which is something that can happen if you have too much information in your file or Equifax cannot differentiate between you and your family member. So they might have some of your accounts on their file and you might have some of theirs on your file, if it is mixed. For a split file, you end up with two separate credit files because there is too much information to fit into one. You could be dealing with one of these situations, in my opinion. Equifax can fix this, but you have to talk to someone in the U.S. No one in their Indian call center will understand or be able to help you with this problem.
Are you able to access Equifax's online dispute portal? Do you have a recent copy of your report directly from them? I ask this because I think you need to figure out what all the personal information showing on your file looks like. You need to dispute by mail any info that overlaps with your family member as well as any old addresses, employers, SSN variations, or other erroneous personal info. This way, they have your correct name, DOB, SSN, and current address, but nothing else that could be used to confuse you with anyone else. This also helps protect you from ID theft because all your info is reporting the same everywhere, so anything different sets off the banks' fraud pattern algorithms.
I'd start with getting the personal information situation cleared up. After that, I would get in touch with someone in the executive office at Equifax and explain your situation. Tell them it is unacceptable for them to not allow any new accounts to be reported to your file and that it is preventing you from obtaining credit and having an accurate credit file. If they do not respond or help you, then I would file a complaint with the CFPB and explain what is going on. If the CFPB doesn't work, then I would find a consumer law attorney in your state and consult with them about your options.
Furthermore, I would dispute the personal information on TransUnion, Experian, Innovis, Sagestream, Lexis Nexis, Chexsystems, Factor Trust, NCTUE, and Clarity Services, just as I explained for you to do with Equifax. If any personal info on there is not current or accurate, then I would dispute it. The same issues can occur with any and all of these bureaus, in terms of getting mixed up with your relative. In addition, you might also uncover additional instances of identity theft. There are definitely more bureaus out there than this, but I think these are the biggest ones that will help you the most in getting this situation cleared up at this time. Let me know if you have questions, I know this is a lot of info/work to do.
