Experian Class Action Lawsuit: Credit Bureau Allegedly Sells Phone Numbers Secretly

Case Overview: A class action lawsuit claims Experian secretly sells consumer phone numbers to third-party lenders through "trigger leads," leading to unwanted telemarketing calls and violating federal privacy laws.

Consumers Affected: U.S. consumers whose phone numbers were disclosed by Experian to third-party lenders between June 6, 2023, and the present.

Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Experian's promise to protect consumer data isn't quite as secure as it sounds.

That's according to consumer Darryl Davis, who has filed a class action lawsuit against the credit reporting giant claiming the company has been secretly selling customer phone numbers to third-party lenders without permission.

The result? Hundreds of unwanted telemarketing calls that can last for months, the lawsuit alleges.

Davis filed the class action complaint against Experian Information Solutions in federal court, alleging the company's data-selling practices violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act and treat consumer information like a commodity.

Lawsuit Claims Experian Sells Phone Numbers Through "Trigger Leads"

Davis alleges that Experian has been selling consumer phone numbers connected to something called "trigger leads"—notifications that tell third-party lenders when someone applies for credit.

The lawsuit claims that when consumers apply for mortgages, car loans, or credit cards, Experian immediately sells their contact information to competing lenders who then bombard them with alternative loan offers.

According to Davis, this isn't just an occasional phone call or two.

He says he received hundreds of unwanted telephone calls over multiple months after applying for credit, demonstrating what he calls Experian's "repeated sale" of his personal information.

"Experian did this without Plaintiff's and Class Members' knowledge or consent and treats their protected personal information as a commodity to be sold for its own enrichment," the lawsuit states.

Secret Data Sales Leave Consumers in the Dark About Phone Number Sharing

Davis says that if he'd known Experian would sell his phone number to create marketing opportunities for other lenders, he never would have agreed to let the company access his credit information.

His lawsuit argues this isn't just a privacy violation— it's part of a systematic business model that generates revenue by turning consumer credit applications into sales leads for competing companies.

The lawsuit alleges that Experian has been operating this scheme without transparency, leaving consumers unaware that applying for credit would trigger months of telemarketing calls.

"Experian has trampled on consumers' privacy rights," the lawsuit claims, arguing that the company created a "nuisance for consumers across the country."

Data Selling Violates Federal Credit Reporting Laws

Davis accuses Experian of both willful and negligent violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which governs how credit bureaus can collect and share consumer information.

The lawsuit argues that selling phone numbers to create marketing leads goes beyond what federal law allows, especially without explicit consumer consent.

According to the complaint, Experian knew its conduct violated the law but continued the practice anyway to generate profits from consumer data.

Growing Privacy Concerns Target Data-Hungry Companies

Meanwhile, other major companies face similar lawsuits over unauthorized data collection and sharing practices.

Toyota, Progressive Insurance, and data broker Connected Analytic Services recently got hit with a class action claiming they secretly harvested and sold sensitive driving data from vehicle owners without consent.

That lawsuit accuses the companies of tracking everything from drivers' speed and braking patterns to their locations and voice recordings without telling customers.

In the Experian lawsuit, Davis wants to represent a nationwide class of consumers whose phone numbers were disclosed by Experian to third-party lenders between June 6, 2023, and the present. He is demanding a jury trial and requesting multiple forms of compensation for himself and potential class members.

Davis also wants the court to declare Experian's practices illegal and award statutory damages under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which allows consumers to recover money even without proving specific financial losses.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Davis v. Experian Information Solutions Inc.
• Case Number: 4:25-cv-04819
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Plaintiffs' Attorney:

• Charles R. Toomajian III (Zimmerman Reed LLP)

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