„Punished For Living Debt Free”: Canadian Man’s Credit Score Wiped By Equifax After He Avoids New Debt

David Tregear, a Victoria man, saw his Equifax credit score unexpectedly drop to zero, leaving him unable to access loans or credit. He had stopped using credit to avoid debt but never expected to be penalized, according to CBC.

„I was just stunned,” Tregear said. „What do you mean I don’t have credit?”

Equifax only explained the issue after CBC’s Go Public got involved, citing a rarely publicized policy: credit scores may be reset to zero after long inactivity.

Tregear’s score was around 700 before it vanished, and now he must rebuild it from scratch — a catch-22, as lenders reject him without an existing score.

Go Public found no law governs how credit scores are calculated in Canada, giving private agencies like Equifax unchecked control.

CBC writes that consumer advocate Geoff White called this lack of transparency a major flaw in the system, saying, “A credit score is a very important piece of information. It shouldn’t be arbitrarily wiped out through lack of use of credit.”

Tregear spent over a year filing complaints with multiple regulators, only to be referred in circles. It was only after media attention that B.C. consumer agencies agreed to investigate — after previously turning him away due to jurisdictional confusion.

„I’m being punished for living debt-free,” Tregear said, as he continues to face major barriers without a credit score.