Experts say her experience is all too common, in part because the corporations are regulated under both provincial and federal laws, making accountability complex.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“You have to get 13 provincial and territorial legislatures and one federal government co-ordinated on this,” said Neil Hartung, a Toronto-based lawyer with expertise in consumer protection and a director with the Consumers Council of Canada. “So good luck with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither Equifax nor TransUnion agreed to interview requests. Both said they could not answer specific questions about Lorenz-Boser\u2019s experience, citing privacy concerns \u2014 even though she granted both companies permission to speak about her files.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fight to make it right <\/p>\n
Lorenz-Boser filed a report with local police, then called Equifax to dispute the fraudulent debts.<\/p>\n
After navigating multiple voice prompts and waiting on hold for about half an hour, she says, she reached a customer service agent and identified debts that weren\u2019t hers.<\/p>\n
Those debts were removed \u2014 but, strangely, reappeared the following month. She called again. And again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
At one point, she says, an agent removed legitimate debt she had been faithfully paying to build her credit history. Her credit score dropped to the low 500s, considered “poor.” Scores below 660 can make it harder to qualify for loans or favourable interest rates.<\/p>\n
![\"Blank](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771849687_127_default.jpg\")
This is what the screen looked like when Lorenz-Boser tried to load Equifax’s online dispute form. (CBC)<\/p>\n
After about five months, Lorenz-Boser stopped calling and began filing disputes online. But that presented new obstacles. When she clicked the “start your dispute” button on the Equifax website, her screen went black. She had to call to get the required forms by email. The link to the form remained broken for several more months when Go Public checked \u2014 it now appears to be fixed online, but not when accessed via phone.<\/p>\n
Other technical issues compounded the problem. The forms would not allow her to enter her hyphenated last name, and contained fields marked optional \u2014 but the form would not submit unless they were completed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I cannot put into words how frustrated I am with Equifax,” said Lorenz-Boser. “For Canada’s leading credit bureau, their process for helping victims is absolutely abysmal.”<\/p>\n
Her experience with TransUnion was also frustrating, she said. Although the online dispute process was more straightforward, fraudulent debt remained on her record despite repeated attempts over a year and a half to have it removed.<\/p>\n
‘The system cheated me’<\/p>\n
Lorenz-Boser is far from alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Go Public has heard from others in similar situations.<\/p>\n
“The credit system we have is broken and needs a reboot,” wrote one person, who says they have been fighting for months to rectify an incorrect debt.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771849688_600_default.jpg\")
During the 18-month ordeal to get her credit reports fixed, Lorenz-Boser says debts would sometimes get removed from her file, only to reappear when she checked her report the next month. (Peter Evans\/CBC)<\/p>\n
“There is no recourse for Canadians to deal with these frustrating institutions,” wrote another, who says he has been trying for three years to fix errors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prithvi Patel, of Regina, says his credit file got mixed up with five other people who share his last name. When he tried to get a mortgage just over a year ago, the bank denied him because his report showed multiple outstanding debts that weren\u2019t his.<\/p>\n
Because it took Equifax 11 months to correct the errors, Patel says he missed out on a lower mortgage rate \u2014 something he estimates cost him $11,000 over a five-year term.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Losing $11,000 of my hard-earned money \u2026 makes me feel like the system cheated me,” said Patel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Debts often sold multiple times<\/p>\n
Hartung, the consumer advocate, says when a debt is deemed uncollectible, it is often sold to another agency \u2014 “and the cycle repeats” \u2014 meaning, more calls from a new collection agency.<\/p>\n
“It is so difficult to make any forward momentum on these things that most people give up,” he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Lorenz-Boser was receiving daily calls from collections agencies, at work and on her personal cellphone. The stress became so overwhelming, she put her phone on permanent \u201cdo not disturb,\u201d making it difficult for colleagues, friends and family to reach her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fear that she might never repair her credit score \u2014 or qualify for a loan, credit card or mortgage \u2014 kept her up at night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s just really frustrating and scary,” she said. <\/p>\n
Hartung argues that because Equifax and TransUnion control Canada\u2019s credit reporting system,\u00a0 they have little incentive to improve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It doesn\u2019t matter to them whether that information is right or wrong,” he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771849688_795_default.jpg\")
Lawyer Neil Hartung says Equifax and TransUnion have no incentive to ensure people\u2019s credit scores are accurate, because they dominate the market. (Robert Krbavac\/CBC)<\/p>\n
He would like federal legislation that would automatically award damages if a credit reporting agency fails to take appropriate steps to correct inaccurate data.<\/p>\n
“That would at least signal that they have to do better,” said Hartung.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Service Alberta said credit reporting agencies operating in the province are regulated under the Consumer Protection Act and the Credit and Personal Reports Regulation and are expected to take “appropriate due-diligence steps” when confirming whether reported debt is accurate.<\/p>\n
Equifax told Go Public it contacts the company that reports the information to “verify the accuracy” but would not say whether it independently reviews proof.<\/p>\n
TransUnion said it requests creditors to investigate disputes, and that “creditors are responsible for reviewing their own records.” A spokesperson later said the company will request documentation “on a case-by-case basis.”<\/p>\n
Go Public gets resolution<\/p>\n
After Go Public contacted TransUnion, a spokesperson said the company reached out to the creditors and the disputed items “have been resolved.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Go Public reached out to Equifax, an employee called Lorenz-Boser and apologized to her for the year-and-a-half frustration. In the phone call \u2014 recorded by Lorenz-Boser \u2014 she said the file had been merged with someone who had a similar last name and birthdate and carried significant debt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Obviously, we do not love the fact that an error was made,” said the Equifax employee.<\/p>\n
Lorenz-Boser finds that explanation difficult to accept. “What are the odds there\u2019s someone in Edmonton with my name, my birthday, who is in a lot of debt?” she asked.<\/p>\n
She says it also doesn\u2019t explain why her TransUnion report was affected as well.<\/p>\n
Hartung, the consumer advocate, says credit reporting agencies would typically have additional identifiers, such as social insurance numbers, that could distinguish between individuals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“This sounds to me like someone really wasn’t trying all that hard on the other end to resolve this,” he said.<\/p>\n
In the end, Equifax cleared all fraudulent debt from Lorenz-Boser\u2019s file. Her credit score has recovered, and the company has offered two free years of credit monitoring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s enough, honestly, for how much I\u2019ve been put through,” said Lorenz-Boser. “But I\u2019m happy they took it seriously. The relief is insane.”<\/p>\n
Submit your story ideas<\/p>\n
Go Public is an investigative news segment on CBC-TV, radio and the web.<\/p>\n
We tell your stories, shed light on wrongdoing and hold the powers that be accountable.<\/p>\n
If you have a story in the public interest, or if you’re an insider with information, contact\u00a0gopublic@cbc.ca<\/a>\u00a0with your name, contact information and a brief summary. All emails are confidential until you decide to Go Public.<\/p>\n