Equifax has agreed to pay at least $575 million, and potentially up to $700 million, as part of a global settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and 50 U.S. states and territories, which alleged that the credit reporting company’s failure to take reasonable steps to secure its network led to a data breach in 2017 that affected approximately 147 million people.
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 protect yourself from the Equifax breach?
You should:
- Scrutinize all credit card and bank statements. Take note of small, but suspicious, charges. ...
- Check your credit report from all three credit bureaus. This will help you determine if unauthorized accounts have been opened in your name. ...
- Refrain from giving out personal information over the phone or through email. ...
What should I do after the Equifax data breach?
What to do if your account is compromised
- Least sensitive — change your password. If you’re notified that one of your online accounts has been compromised, change your password immediately.
- Moderately sensitive — notify your bank. If your card payment numbers have been stolen, notify the bank or company that issued the card immediately.
- Most sensitive — notify Equifax and TransUnion. ...
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.
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How much can you get from a data breach settlement?
Under the terms of the settlement, class members can collect a cash payment for out-of-pocket expenses and lost time. The settlement allows reimbursement for up to $25,000 in out-of-pocket expenses related to the data breach.
How much do you get from Equifax settlement?
If you asked for money If you requested compensation of up to $125 or reimbursement for time spent recovering from fraud or ID theft, a check or debit card will be mailed to the address you used when submitting your claim.
Has anyone received money from Equifax breach?
The company has agreed to a global settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and 50 U.S. states and territories. The settlement includes up to $425 million to help people affected by the data breach.
Is Equifax 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.
Will Equifax pay $125?
Equifax denied any wrongdoing and no judgment or finding of wrongdoing was made. 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. The Settlement is now effective.
Who qualifies for Equifax settlement?
You are a Settlement Class Member if you are among the approximately 147 million U.S. consumers identified by Equifax whose personal information was impacted by the Equifax Data Breach.
How do I check my Equifax claim?
You can also log into your myEquifax account and view your status by clicking the “check status of a dispute” button. If you are checking your status by mail or phone, please make sure you have the confirmation number that was provided to you when you submitted your dispute.
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 happened to the class action lawsuit against Equifax?
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.
What happened to Equifax after the 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 ...
Can I trust Equifax?
Trusted: Equifax is one of the major credit bureaus and has a highly regarded reputation.
How Much Will Indiana residents get from the Equifax settlement?
approximately $79The Indiana Attorney General will start sending settlement payments on Wednesday to Hoosiers whose data was leaked in a 2017 Equifax breach. More than 236,000 past and current Indiana residents will get approximately $79 as part of a settlement that Indiana reached with the credit company.
What is the Indiana Equifax settlement?
As part of the settlement, Equifax agreed to pay $19.5 million to the State of Indiana. That money is being directed to consumer restitution payments and costs associated with the settlement. If your personal information was impacted in the data breach, you are eligible for a consumer restitution payment.
How long does it take Equifax to unfreeze credit?
If you send your request to thaw your report by mail, we recommend you allow up to three days for it to be thawed once Experian receives your request. Equifax and TransUnion, the two other national credit reporting companies, may have different processes and policies for requesting a credit file thaw.
What is Indiana Equifax claims?
It involves a massive security breach at the Equifax credit bureau back in 2017. The breach compromised the social security numbers, birthdates, addresses, credit card information and driver's license numbers of 147 million Americans. States like Indiana sued and won class action settlements.
What happened to Equifax in 2017?
In 2017, major consumer credit reporting agency Equifax announced it had incurred a significant data breach. The breach exposed the personal information of approximately 147 million people. After the announcement, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took Equifax to court for its role in the events that caused the breach.
How many free credit reports are available for Equifax?
Additionally, all US consumers (not just the ones impacted by the breach) are eligible for six additional free credit reports from Equifax every year for the next seven years, as mandated by the Federal Trade Commission. Consumers are encouraged to take advantage of this offer.
Who Can File a Claim?
You can file a claim if you were one of the 147 million American consumers identified by Equifax whose personal information was impacted by the breach.
How long is credit monitoring free?
That’s up to 10 years of free credit monitoring total, and minors impacted by the breach are eligible for even more than 10 years of free credit monitoring.
How long does it take to get free credit monitoring?
Individuals can receive at least four years of free credit monitoring on credit reports at all three major credit reporting agencies (TransUnion, Equifax and Experian). Additionally, you may be able to receive up to six more years of free credit monitoring of your Equifax credit report.
How much is the maximum amount of time you can spend protecting your identity?
The time you spent protecting your identity or recovering from identity theft, up to 20 hours at $25 per hour ($500 max).
Can you get free identity restoration from Experian?
If anyone impacted by the breach experiences identity theft in the next seven years, they can access free identity restoration services from Experian. (Your account has to be identified as impacted by the Equifax breach, though.)
How much does Equifax pay for settlement?
Under the Settlement, Equifax will pay, on a claims-made basis, up to $5.5 million into an escrow account out of which the Settlement Administrator will make payments to Settlement Class Members who timely submit valid claims.
What happens if you do nothing on Equifax?
If you do nothing, you will also forfeit your right to sue or bring any claim against Equifax and/or Defendants’ Released Persons related to the Data Breach.
Can a financial institution be bound by a settlement?
Your financial institution can remain in the Settlement Class and file an objection telling the Court why you do not like the Settlement. If your objections are overruled, your financial institution will be bound by the Settlement.
Can you get compensation from a settlement?
If eligible, your financial institution will receive a cash payment. This is the only way to get compensation from the Settlement.
Can Equifax get a payment from a class action settlement?
If your financial institution issued one or more payment cards identified as having been at risk as a result of the data breach that Equifax announced in 2017, it could get a payment from a class action settlement.
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.
