Last Day To File Claim In $700M Equifax Data Breach Settlement

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – Today is the deadline to file a claim in the Equifax data breach settlement.

The company agreed to pay up to $700 million after the 2017 breach exposed Social Security numbers and other private information of nearly 150 million people.

Affected consumers may be eligible to receive money by filing one or more claims for conditions including money spent purchasing credit monitoring or identity theft protection after the breach and the cost of freezing or unfreezing credit reports at any consumer reporting agency.

WEB EXTRAS: See If Your Data Was Exposed | File A Claim In The Case

All impacted consumers would be eligible to receive at least 10 years of free credit-monitoring, at least seven years of free identity-restoration services, and, starting on Dec. 31 and extending seven years, all U.S. consumers may request up to six free copies of their Equifax credit report during any 12-month period.

If consumers choose not to enroll in the free credit monitoring product available through the settlement, they may seek up to $125 as a reimbursement for the cost of a credit-monitoring product of their choice. Consumers must submit a claim in order to receive free credit monitoring or cash reimbursements.

You can file a claim for:

Free Credit Monitoring and Identity Theft Protection Services

• Up to 10 years of free credit monitoring, including:
  • At least four years of free monitoring of your credit report at all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and $1,000,000 of identity theft insurance.
  • Up to six more years of free monitoring of your Equifax credit report.(Previously, a cash payment was identified as an alternative to the free credit monitoring, but there are limited funds available. See FAQ 4 for details.)
• If you were a minor in May 2017, you are eligible for a total of 18 years of free credit monitoring.

Cash Payments (capped at up to $20,000 per person)

• For expenses you paid as a result of the breach, like:
  • Losses from unauthorized charges to your accounts
  • The cost of freezing or unfreezing your credit report
  • The cost of credit monitoring
  • Fees you paid to professionals like an accountant or attorney
  • Other expenses like notary fees, document shipping fees and postage, mileage, and phone charges
• For the time you spent dealing with the breach. You can be compensated up to $25 per hour up to 20 hours. There are limited funds available so your claim may be reduced.
  • If you submit a claim for 10 hours or less, you must describe the actions you took and the time you spent doing those things.
  • If you claim more than 10 hours, you must describe the actions you took AND provide documents that show identity theft, fraud, or other misuse of your information.
• For the cost of Equifax credit monitoring and related services you had between September 7, 2016, and September 7, 2017, capped at 25 percent of the total amount you paid.

Even if you do not file a claim, you can get:

Free Help Recovering from Identity Theft

• For at least seven years, you can get free identity restoration services. If you discover misuse of your personal information, call the settlement administrator at 1-833-759-2982. You will be given instructions for how to access free identity restoration services.

Free Credit Reports for All U.S. Consumers

• Starting in 2020, all U.S. consumers can get 6 free credit reports per year for 7 years from the Equifax website. That's in addition to the one free Equifax report (plus your Experian and TransUnion reports) you can get at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Click here for more information from the Federal Trade Commission.