What am I missing?

Several years ago I was a victim of identity theft. Someone at my job pilfered personal info, gave it to someone else who filed unemployment claims. On advice of the State Labor Dept and police input a free on my credit reports. Fast forward and it’s time to get a new car. Dealer can’t do credit check because my Experian Account is locked. So I unlock it. Dealer still can’t do credit check, tells me account is still locked. Experian says it isn’t. Dealer says it is and won’t do the deal.

Calling Experian/ Transunion is getting me nowhere. They say the account is not frozen. Likewise dealer says he can’t move forward. I told him to have the lending bank check directly and the bank can’t access my credit history either.

I’m usually not the first or only person to encounter a problem. I bet someone here has been down this road. How do I figure out whether it’s actually frozen/ locked and find a resolution?