Chances are it is legitimate. The message announces the finalized settlement for consumers of a data breach Equifax experienced in 2017 that exposed the names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses—and in some cases driver's license numbers, credit card account numbers, and other personal information of up to 147 million people. 1
Full Answer
What is the Equifax data breach settlement?
In September of 2017, Equifax announced a data breach that exposed the personal information of 147 million people. Under a settlement filed today, Equifax agreed to spend up to $425 million to help people affected by the data breach.
How do I contact the administrator about the Equifax settlement?
>. The administrator will not call you about the settlement, but you can reach the administrator by phone at 1-833-759-2982. In September of 2017, Equifax announced a data breach that exposed the personal information of 147 million people.
How much did Equifax pay in the settlement?
Equifax Breach Settlement Approved by Court: Money for Some, Free Credit Monitoring for All Equifax will pay up to $425 million in restitution to those directly affected by the credit bureau's massive data breach in 2017. In mid-January, a federal court granted final approval to the class-action lawsuit settlement.
Does Equifax have my Social Security number?
Equifax already has your social security number all he needs is the last Equifax already has your social security number all he needs is the last four digits to prove you are who you are more than likely it is that legitimate settlement
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Is it safe to give my Social Security number to Equifax?
Is it okay to give it to them? Yes. The credit reporting agencies ask for your Social Security Number (or Taxpayer ID Number) and other personal information to identify you and avoid sending your credit report to the wrong person. It is okay to give this information to the credit reporting agency that you call.
What happened to my Equifax settlement?
You filed a claim in the Equifax Data Breach Settlement and chose to receive free, three-bureau (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) credit monitoring from Experian for four years. Implementation of the Settlement was delayed by appeals; however, the Settlement is now effective because appellate courts have affirmed it.
How much will each person get from Equifax settlement?
Under the settlement terms, Equifax agreed to set up a fund to provide free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to consumers, as well as provide cash payments to people affected by the breach—up to $20,000 per person.
What is the status of the Equifax lawsuit?
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.
How do I know if I qualify for Equifax settlement?
Go to the settlement website and click on "Find out if your information was impacted" to see if you're eligible. Identity restoration services include help dealing with companies, government agencies and credit bureaus. You can use the service even if you never make a claim from this settlement.
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.
Who hacked Equifax?
According to the nine-count indictment handed down by the grand jury in Atlanta, four members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army are alleged to have conspired to hack Equifax as computer systems and commit economic espionage.
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.
What are the security risks of Equifax?
The data breached included names, home addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers, and driver's license numbers. The credit card numbers of approximately 209,000 consumers were also breached. The Equifax breach is unprecedented in scope and severity.
How much is the Equifax data breach settlement?
$425 millionOn June 3, 2021, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the $425 million Equifax data breach settlement.
Are Experian and Equifax the same?
Equifax: An Overview. Experian and Equifax are the two largest credit bureaus in the U.S. Both companies collect and research credit information of individuals and rate the overall ability to pay back a debt. Credit bureaus like Experian and Equifax provide the information they gather to creditors for a fee.
Has Equifax settlement been approved?
The Settlement received final approval from the Court on January 13, 2020. You may review the Final Approval Order and Final Order and Judgment by clicking here. Settlement appeals have been resolved and the Settlement is now effective.
What happened to Equifax after the data breach?
In the wake of Equifax's 2017 data breach, which compromised the personal information of roughly 147 million consumers — including names, birthdates and Social Security numbers — the company ended up as the target of multiple lawsuits and reached a settlement in 2019 with the FTC, the Consumer Financial Protection ...
How much was the Equifax settlement?
$425 millionEquifax data breach class action lawsuit settlement updates: On June 3, 2021, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the $425 million Equifax data breach settlement.
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.
What to do if you don't disclose your social security number?
What we can do: · Don’t disclose your Social Security number without thinking twice, and asking yourself why it may be needed. · Know when the law requires disclosure and when it’s discretionary. · Ask to provide alternative means of identification to your Social Security number.
What credit bureaus require you to prove you are a person?
Credit bureaus — Transunion, Experian, and Equifax — require this information, “to prove that you are you,” Chatzky said. They may also ask you to answer some other questions about places you’ve lived or loans you've had, or seek a partial number to help identify you.
Is Equifax justified in asking for information?
But Equifax, not withstanding complaints about how it handled the breach, is justified in asking for the information, says Jean Chatzky, author of "Money Rules: The Simple Path to Lifelong Security" and host of the podcast, HerMoney.
Can a state government request your social security number?
What else? Federal law mandates that state tax authorities, departments of motor vehicles, entitlement programs like welfare, and other governmental agencies may legitimately request your Social Security number as a means to identify you. (But the Privacy Act of 1974 requires all government agencies to disclose whether submitting your number is required and how it will use the information.)
Is it legitimate to get asked for a tax return?
It's also legitimate to get asked for it in any dealings with the Internal Revenue Service —filing our taxes or making payroll, for instance, says Joe Valenti, director of consumer finance at the Center for American Progress, a think tank.
Can a hacker get someone's social security number?
Fast forward to today: They've become a defacto national identification number, which makes them such a hot ticket for identity theft. Once a hacker’s got someone’s Social Security number, it’s easy to get more vital stats—like date of birth, address, email address, employer, bank loan numbers, and on and on. This is the superhighway to identity theft.
Claim
Equifax data breach settlement emails offering a free membership for Experian IdentityWorks are legitimate.
Origin
In late January 2022, Google users looked to Reddit and elsewhere to find out if an email for the status of the Equifax data breach settlement was a “scam or legit,” as readers often do after receiving such notices.
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.
When did hackers access Equifax?
Since hackers first accessed the Equifax data as early as mid-May, it’s likely that your information has already fallen in the hands of identity thieves.
What is Equifax credit?
You must have been living under a rock for the past 30 or so years if you are asking this question. Equifax is a credit reporting agency. They track your credit usage, payments, available credit among other things and wrap them up and sell the information to banks and other financial institutions to market you more financial problems. Also they are the clearing house (one of the major 3 to be precise) for credit ratings of each individual. Your credit score depends on Equifax along with Trans Union and Experian.
How to protect yourself from identity theft?
Moving forward, the ONLY way to effectively protect yourself from fraud and identity theft is to put a freeze on your credit with all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian & Transunion) ASAP. This blocks anyone from opening new lines of credit under your name. The only downside is that you have to pay a fee (varies by state, usually $5-$10) to each of the 3 bureaus in order to place the freeze and also a fee to temporarily (or permanently) unfreeze it (which you’ll need to do in order to open a line of credit).
Can a criminal use stolen credit card information?
Criminals could potentially use the stolen information to impersonate you; apply for credit cards, loans, and other lines of credit under your name; and max out on the accounts. Your credit would take a big hit. Fortunately, you wouldn’t be responsible for paying the fraudulent accounts and they can be taken off of your credit report.
Does Equifax handle personal information?
Wow - what a BS top answer. “Equifax safely handles personal information.” Yeah. Sure they do.
Is Equifax a legit company?
Equifax is legit but how safe they are, I do not know. The experienced a major breach last month. Check out the link below for information:
