Assignment of a certified Identity Theft Restoration Specialist to assist you in addressing an identity theft event. If you wish to communicate directly with Class Counsel, you may contact them (see FAQ 21). Will my cash compensation be affected by the number of claims made by others? The email or letter tells you how. Equifax denies any wrongdoing, and no court or other judicial entity has made any judgment or other determination of any wrongdoing. An initial fraud alert requires lenders to take reasonable steps to make sure the person making new credit requests in your name is actually you. Equifax agreed to. How to protect your personal information and privacy, stay safe online, and help your kids do the same. February 4, 2022 Lots of people recently got an email or letter about free credit monitoring through the Equifax settlement. Up to $425 million from the settlement would compensate anyone affected by the data leak. Settlement Benefit: Cash Alternative Reimbursement Compensation: If you already have some other kind of credit monitoring or protection services, and did not claim the free Credit Monitoring Services available through the Settlement, Class Members had the option to file a claim during the Initial Claims Period for Alternative Reimbursement Compensation for up to $125. 8. The message says theres something wrong with Its Cyber Security Awareness month, so the tricks scammers use to steal our personal information are on our minds. Objecting Or Commenting On the Settlement. The cost of these services will be paid separately by Equifax, not out of the Consumer Restitution Fund. A Court authorized thenotice to inform you how you may be affected by this Settlement. Claims are due by January 22, 2024. How do I check the status of my Equifax Settlement? These services will be provided by Experian for a period of seven (7) years. Thenotice describes the lawsuit, the general terms of the Settlement and what it may mean to you. For more information, you may contact the Settlement Administrator by email at info@EquifaxBreachSettlement.com, by phone toll-free by calling 1-833-759-2982, or by mailing a letter to: Equifax Data Breach Settlement Administrator. How can I find out? The Court appointed the following attorneys to represent you and other Settlement Class Members as Class Counsel., Norman E. Siegel ins.style.minWidth = container.attributes.ezaw.value + 'px'; People have said they've gotten measly payouts of $5.21 and $2.64. In the wake of Equifax's 2017 data breach, which compromised the personal information of more than 147 million consumers including names, birthdates and Social Security numbers the company became the target of multiple lawsuits and reached a settlement in 2019 with the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and all U.S. states and territories. You are a Settlement Class Member if you are among the approximately 147million U.S. consumers identified by Equifax whose personal information was impacted by the Equifax Data Breach. An official website of the United States government. I received an email that my Settlement payment was issued by pre-paid card. You may receive reimbursement for up to 10 hours at $25 per hour by providing a description of (i) the actions taken in response to the Data Breach in dealing with misuse of your information or taking preventative measuresand (ii) the time associated with those actions. We want to hear from you. The Settlement Administrator can now offer you the ability to receive your payment electronically . What claims can I make during the Extended Claims Period? Has anyone received money from Equifax Settlement? You will be given instructions for how to access free identity restoration services. Remember that you dont have to pay for credit monitoring as part of this settlement, and nobody will call, text, or email out of the blue to ask you for your credit card or bank account numbers, or to help you get your free credit monitoring. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Certain claims for losses between 1/23/2020 and 1/22/2024 as a result of the Data Breach may be made during the Extended Claims Period (see FAQ 12). Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commissions (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTCscomputer user recordssystem. var ins = document.createElement('ins'); STUEVE SIEGEL HANSON LLP Key Dates | Equifax Data Breach Settlement Key Dates This Is The Official Settlement Website For The Equifax Data Breach Settlement. Lina M. Khan was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. container.style.maxWidth = container.style.minWidth + 'px'; Class Counsel have undertaken this case on a contingency-fee basis, meaning they have paid for all of the expenses in the case and had not been paid any money in relation to their work on this case. 34. Check out American Airlines Security Breach & Binance Hack. I received an email regarding free, three-bureau (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) credit monitoring from Experian for four years. That means you will be bound to the terms of the Settlement and accompanying court orders, and cannot bring a lawsuit or be part of another lawsuit against Equifax regarding the Data Breach. Equifax gathers and combines data on more than 88 million organizations and over 800 million individual consumers worldwide. The settlement offered either a $125 payout or 10 years of free credit monitoring and $1 million in identity theft insurance provided by Equifax. ins.dataset.adChannel = cid; Sign up for notifications from Insider! 33. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. The Court has not decided in favor of Plaintiffs or Equifax. var container = document.getElementById(slotId); The cost of this service will be paid separately by Equifax, not out of the Consumer Restitution Fund. Consumers with valid claims and who submitted the proper documentation as required under the court-approved Settlement Agreement all received full compensation for their out-of-pocket loss claims. Why were alternative compensation and time spent claims reduced and will additional Settlement payments be made? All U.S. consumers can now get 7 free Equifax credit reports per year through 2026 by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com. Check out these solutions to learn how to protect yourself from a data breach: Unfortunately no. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. The settlement administrator is now examining time and out-of-pocket loss claims. Updated on: July 31, 2019 / 1:58 PM / MoneyWatch. On-demand online access to a free copy of one-bureau credit report, updated on a monthly basis. Visit EquifaxBreachSettlement.com for more information and to verify the progress of your claim. See If My Information Was Impacted by the 2017 Data Breach, File an Extended Claims Period Claim Form. Have you heard about it? You must claim to be eligible for either free credit monitoring or a cash payout (or both). The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Our information on credit reports and sample dispute letters can help you with this process. free help recovering from identity theft. Got a confidential news tip? Have the credit monitoring benefits under the Settlement started? Equifax denied any wrongdoing and no judgment or finding of wrongdoing was made. Will the Settlement include changes to Equifaxs data security program? Claims for free Credit Monitoring Services (see, Claims for cash Alternative Reimbursement Compensation for credit monitoring or protection (see. Are there any Settlement funds remaining? The FTC has provided an update on the Equifax Data Breach Settlement. 17. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. Why? If you have questions about the Settlement, or wish to receive a copy of the Settlement Agreement but do not have access to the Internet to download a copy online, you may contact the Settlement Administrator. The specialist can help you with a step-by-step process to deal with companies, government agencies, and credit reporting companies. The deadline for all claims for Credit Monitoring Services was 1/22/2020. How much is the Equifax Settlement per person? How will the Settlement compensate me for identity theft I have already suffered or money I have already paid to protect myself, and my time spent on those things? The business must additionally pay court costs and fines from the government. Two types of claims may be made: "Fixed Payment Claims" and "Documented Out-of-Pocket Claims." Unless you validly excluded yourself from the Settlement (see FAQ 30), all of the decisions by the Court will bind you. Whether you filed a claim for a cash payment or free credit-monitoring or neither it's worth protecting your credit from criminals trying to use your personal information. ins.className = 'adsbygoogle ezasloaded'; Make cash payments for Subscription Product Reimbursement; Purchase Restoration Services for all Settlement Class Members, regardless of whether they make a claim (see. ins.id = slotId + '-asloaded'; ins.style.height = container.attributes.ezah.value + 'px'; The email or letter tells you how. The settlementincludes up to $425 million to help people affected by the data breach. Is North Korea behind the CHI Health data breach? Settlement benefits for eligible out-of-pocket losses and time spent will begin issuing in mid-December 2022. The deadline to apply for a settlement payout was in January 2020. In September 2017, Equifax announced that it had been the victim of a criminal cyberattack on its systems. How will the Settlement help me deal with identity theft or fraud if it happens? Access to a U.S. based call center providing services relating to identity restoration. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Up to $425 million of the settlement would be used to assist those impacted by the data leak. You can also request up to seven free reports per year through Equifax until 2026. Learn more about the settlement and free credit monitoring at ftc.gov/Equifax. Valid claims for Time Spent will be reimbursed in 15-minute increments, with a minimum reimbursement of 1 hour per claim. We wont post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions. Memo from Chair Lina M. Khan to commission staff and commissioners regarding the vision and priorities for the FTC. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the three nationwide credit reporting companies, Equifax, Experian, and Transunion, are currently offering free weekly access to your credit reports online at annualcreditreport.com . If the settlement fund is exhausted by valid claims for out-of-pocket losses in the extended claims period, then up to an additional $125 million will be made available to pay those valid out-of-pocket loss claims. Claims must be filed by January 22, 2024.