Yes, the Equifax Data Breach Settlement email and website are real. WHAT WE FOUND Although the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has previously warned of people attempting to scam Equifax cyberattack victims, EquifaxBreachSettlement.com is a real website and the email Dan received is legitimate, an FTC spokesperson confirmed to VERIFY.
Full Answer
What you should know about the Equifax breach settlement?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a consumer alert regarding the Equifax Data Breach. In September 2017, Equifax announced a data breach, which affected the personal information of 147 million people. Under a recent settlement filed, Equifax agreed to spend up to $425 million to help people affected by the data breach.
How to submit claim from Equifax data breach?
- Obtain your free Credit Reports annually from Equifax, Trans Union and Experian at: annualcreditreport.com
- Dispute any incorrect information on your Credit Reports
- Shred any personal information before disposal
- Thoroughly review all bank and credit statements monthly
- Report Identity Theft immediately at the Federal Trade Commission
How to take advantage of the Equifax data breach settlement?
- Get a free credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228.
- Call the Equifax Settlement Administrator at 1-833-759-2982.
- Take advantage of any free services being offered as a result of the breach.
- Use two-factor authentication on your online accounts whenever available.
- Consider a credit freeze.
When will Equifax pay settlement?
Settlement benefits for eligible time spent and out-of-pocket losses are likely to begin issuing in fall 2022. The Equifax Data Breach Settlement website will provide updates. If you still have your claim number, you can enter it on the website and check the status of your claim.
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What happened to Equifax data breach settlement?
Equifax data breach settlement. In 2017, Equifax announced a breach that exposed the personal data of approximately 147 million people. The legal settlement is now final. Here's how you can use the services provided through the settlement to protect and monitor your credit.
How much can you get from a data breach settlement?
Cash payments. You can get compensation for up to 20 hours at $25 per hour for the time you spent taking measures to prevent identity theft or dealing with identity theft. Ten hours can be self-certified, requiring no documentation.
How do I know if I get Equifax settlement?
If you made a valid claim for Credit Monitoring Services, you will receive an email from the Equifax Data Breach Settlement Administrator (from the email address [email protected]) by February 25, 2022 providing you with information on how to activate your credit monitoring.
Is Equifax a legitimate company?
Equifax is one of three national credit bureaus. These companies collect information about your credit history, such as how many credit cards you have, how much money you owe, and how you pay your bills.
Is Equifax being sued?
In 2017, hackers broke into Equifax in a breach that exposed the financial information of 147 million Americans. A federal court in 2020 approved a $380 million settlement of class actions lawsuits, with no finding or judgment of wrongdoing made.
Does Equifax sell your information?
We use and sell personal data to nonaffiliated third parties for the following commercial purposes: Consumer credit reporting. Some of our affiliates collect, use, and sell personal data when acting as a consumer reporting agency, as this activity is regulated by the FCRA.
Did anyone get money from Equifax?
Court Approves Equifax Breach Settlement: Money for Some, Free Credit Monitoring for All. Equifax will pay up to $425 million in restitution to those directly impacted by the massive data breach of the credit bureau in 2017. A federal court gave final approval to the class-action lawsuit settlement in mid-January.
How do I know if Equifax breach affected me?
Equifax has created a website where you can find out if you have been affected by the breach. The website will ask you for the last six digits of your social security number and your last name, and then will tell you if you have been affected. You can also call 1-833-759-2982.
How can I find out if someone opened an account in my name?
The best way to find out if someone has opened an account in your name is to pull your own credit reports to check. Note that you'll need to pull your credit reports from all three bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — to check for fraud since each report may have different information and reporting.
Do credit Repair companies need your SSN?
Credit repair companies may require your Social Security number. What is not necessary is an employer identification number. If the company requires you to apply for a new employer identification number, this is a good indication that they may be scamming you.
What banks use Equifax?
Banks that typically use Equifax dataDiscover it Cash Bank.Discover it Balance Transfer.Discover it Miles.Chase Freedom Flex.Chase Unlimited Freedom.Chase Slate Edge.Citi Double Cash Card.Citi Premier Card.
How much is a data breach worth?
Average cost of a data breach reaches an all-time high Data breach average cost increased 2.6% from USD 4.24 million in 2021 to USD 4.35 million in 2022. The average cost has climbed 12.7% from USD 3.86 million in the 2020 report.
How much compensation will I get for a data breach UK?
You can get from £3,000 to £8,600 if your financial information is breached, depending on the complications of the breach. You can get from £8,600 to £25,700 for the more serious data protection breach cases that have led to serious consequences.
Can I be compensated for a data breach?
The GDPR gives you a right to claim compensation from an organisation if you have suffered damage as a result of it breaking data protection law. This includes both “material damage” (e.g. you have lost money) or “non-material damage” (e.g. you have suffered distress).
How much does a data breach cost 2022?
$4.35 millionThe yearly average data breach cost increased the most between the year's 2020 and 2021 - a spike likely influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The average data breach costs in 2022 is $4.35 million, a 2.6% rise from 2021 amount of $4.24 million.
How much did Equifax pay for data breach?
It's been mere days since credit-reporting firm Equifax agreed to pay up to $700 million to settle claims over a massive 2017 data breach and already scammers are trying to exploit the deal to fraudulently get their hands on your personal information.
How to figure out if you are a settlement claimant?
On the settlement website, you can figure out whether you're one of the eligible claimants. Enter your last name and last six digits of your Social Security number in a website operated by the settlement administrator (not Equifax). If told your personal information was affected by the data theft, then you can file a claim.
What is the deadline for filing your claim?
The deadline to file claims is Jan. 22, 2020, for most benefits, and you won't receive anything until the settlement administrator gets the go-ahead from a court — that would be Jan. 23, 2020, at the earliest.
How to make sure you're not handing over sensitive financial information to a fake website?
To make sure you're not handing over sensitive financial information to a fake website, start your claims process on the FTC's Equifax page at ftc.gov/Equifax. The federal agency noted that consumers never have to pay a fee to claim benefits from the settlement and said anyone who calls to urge you to file a claim is most certainly a con artist.
How much can you claim for cyber theft?
People who were harmed in the cybertheft can also claim as much as $20,000 in cash reimbursement for expenses related to the breach. Those include fees to freeze or unfreeze credit reports, as well as for credit-monitoring services; losses from unauthorized charges to accounts; and any payments to lawyers and or accountants.
How long can you claim for identity theft?
You can make a claim for up to 20 hours of time spent dealing with the breach. The good news here is that backing documents aren't required, and you could see compensation for time you spend trying to recover from identity theft (or avoid it in the first place) of $25 an hour (up a maximum of 10 hours -- more than that and you will need documents backing up your additional time spent). You must certify that you are being truthful.
How long does Experian monitor credit?
Consumers impacted by the data breach are entitled to up to 10 years of free monitoring of their credit reports. You can also sign up for at least four years of monitoring services provided by Experian at no cost, or if you already have credit monitoring going, you can file to be compensated for up to $125 in cash.
When is the deadline to file a claim against Equifax?
The deadline to file a claim for Out-of-Pocket Losses or Time Spent that occurred through January 22, 2020 has passed.
What happens if you are impacted by Equifax?
If you were impacted by the Equifax data breach, you may seek reimbursement for valid Out of Pocket losses or Time Spent (excluding losses of money and time associated with freezing or unfreezing credit reports or purchasing credit monitoring or identity theft protection) incurred during the Extended Claims Period if you have not received reimbursement for the claimed loss through other means.
How much time can you spend on a data breach?
You may be eligible for the following reimbursement cash payments for: Time Spent during the Extended Claims Period recovering from fraud, identity theft, or other misuse of your personal information caused by the data breach up to 20 total hours at $25 per hour.
When is the deadline for Equifax?
If you are a class member, the deadline to file Initial Claims Period claim (s) for free credit monitoring or up to $125 cash payment and other cash reimbursement passed on January 22, 2020.
When is the deadline for credit monitoring in 2024?
January 22, 20 24 (For future losses and time) File a claim for Credit Monitoring Services or Alternative Reimbursement Compensation. The deadline to submit a claim to receive the Free Credit Monitoring Services offered under the Settlement, or Alternative Reimbursement Compensation has passed.
When is the extended claim period for credit monitoring?
You may seek reimbursement for valid Out-of-Pocket Losses or Time Spent (excluding losses of money and time associated with freezing or unfreezing credit reports or purchasing credit monitoring or identity theft protection) incurred during the Extended Claims Period (between January 23, 2020 and January 22, 2024) if you have not received reimbursement for the claimed loss through other means.
Is the Equifax settlement final?
By order of the Court, the Settlement cannot become final until the appeals of the remaining objectors are resolved. In September of 2017, Equifax announced it experienced a data breach, which impacted the personal information of approximately 147 million people.
Here's the backstory
The Equifax data breach reported in July 2017 is one of the worst of all time. Critical information was stolen from over 147 million Americans, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth and home addresses.
How to take advantage of the Equifax settlement
The FTC verified the email’s legitimacy and that the settlement became final in January 2022. It went on to say the settlement administrator recently began sending emails and letters to people who filed a valid claim requesting free credit monitoring services from the settlement.
