Over the past year or so, I have written about the Equifax Data Breach that occurred in 2017. There was a subsequent post about how those affected by the breach could file a claim for free credit monitoring or money. If you are like me, I was wondering when I should expect to see a small check from the company.
According to USA Today, that day may be coming sooner rather than later. An article posted on its website states:
On Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia finalized the settlement, announced by the Federal Trade Commission on July 22. The landmark data breach was the largest-ever in U.S. history.
With Tuesday’s finalization, customers have until January 22nd to file a claim for part of the settlement. There are three ways to check claim eligibility: 1) go to the settlement website at equifaxdatabreachsettlement.com. You will be required to input your last name and last six digits of your social security number, 2) call the Settlement Administrator at 1-833-759-2982, or 3) send an email to info@equifaxdatabreachsettlement.com.
To reiterate, those eligible for claims have the option of receiving up to 10 years of credit monitoring or $125 USD. The dollar could be significantly less, it is dependent on the amount of cash claims requested. There is also an option to claim $25 USD for up to 20 hours if any of your personal data was compromised, documentation has to be provided. Customers will be reimbursed up to $20,000 USD for any services used to counteract the breach.
I do not know how all of this will play out, but I do not expect too much of anything from the company. Please let me know if you all receive correspondence or part of the settlement from Equifax.
