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. If you were affected by the Equifax breach, you can't file a claim just yet. That's coming. But you can sign up for FTC email alerts about the settlement at ftc.gov/Equifax.
(Not sure that you were affected? The breach claims site will have a tool to let you check. Sign up for an FTC email update to find out when that tool is up and running.)
Here’s what you need to know about the settlement.
Benefits Available To You
If you were affected by the breach, you may be eligible for benefits.
1. Free Credit Monitoring or Cash Payment
You can get at least 4 years of free credit monitoring of your credit report at all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). On top of that, you can get up to 6 more years of free credit monitoring of your Equifax credit report. That’s a total of 10 years of free credit monitoring. (Minors affected by the breach are eligible for even more free credit monitoring.)
If you have credit monitoring that will continue for at least 6 months and you decide not to enroll in the free credit monitoring offered in the settlement, you may be eligible for a cash payment. The amount you’d get will depend on the number of claims filed.
2. Reimbursement for Your Time and Other Cash Payments
You may be eligible for reimbursement and cash payments up to $20,000 for:
- time you spent protecting your identity or recovering from identity theft, up to 20 hours at $25 per hour
- money you spent protecting your identity or recovering from identity theft, like the cost of freezing or unfreezing your credit report or unauthorized charges to your accounts
- up to 25% of the cost of Equifax credit monitoring or identity protection products you bought between September 7, 2016 and September 7, 2017
3. Free Identity Restoration Services
You are eligible for free identity restoration services for at least 7 years that you can use if someone steals your identity or you experience fraud.
Next Steps
The claims process will start after court approval. To learn more about the settlement, go to ftc.gov/Equifax. We’ll update that page when there’s new information.
You can also sign up to get FTC email updates about this settlement.
If you were affected by the breach, you may also receive an email notification after the court approves the settlement. The notification will provide more information about the settlement, the benefits available to people impacted, and how to request the services offered under the settlement.
This blog post was updated on August 1, 2019.
In reply to How do I know if I'm affected by Mphelan
An affected consumer is any person whose information was exposed in the Equifax data breach.
You might already know whether your information was exposed in the data breach. If you don't, the breach claims site will have a tool to let you check whether your information was exposed. The claims site will open after a court approves the claims approval process.
In reply to How do I know if I'm affected by Mphelan
In reply to How do I know if I'm affected by Ronald Hine
When the claims process starts, the claims website will have a tool you can use to find out whether you were affected.
The claims process will start after a court approves it. The FTC has more questions and answers at www.FTC.gov/Equifax.
In reply to How do I know if I'm affected by Ronald Hine
In reply to How do I know if I'm affected by Mphelan
In reply to How do I know if I am part of by rapidj1Don't u…
In reply to Hiew do I know if I am a part by MMATHEWS1
Use this tool to look-up your information to see if you were affected.
In reply to How do I know if I'm affected by Mphelan
In reply to PLEASE TELL ME IF I AM by KIRK
You can use this look-up tool to see if your information was exposed in the data breach. Get more information at www.FTC.gov/Equifax.
In reply to How do I know if I'm affected by Mphelan
In reply to How do I know if I'm affected by Mphelan
In reply to How do I know if I'm affected by Mphelan
In reply to We keep hearing about this, by Squirrelena
What would you like to check? When you sign up for email from the FTC, the only information you need to give is your email address.
You can sign to get FTC email updates about the Equifax settlement. The settlement claims process will start after a court approves it.
In reply to We keep hearing about this, by Squirrelena
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In reply to I don't think the settlement by Joanne G.
An affected consumer is any person whose information was exposed in the Equifax data breach.
You might already know whether your information was exposed in the data breach. If you don't, the breach claims site will have a tool to let you check whether your information was exposed. The claims site will open after a court approves the claims approval process.
In reply to I don't think the settlement by Joanne G.
In reply to Yes...agreed my credit is by Rmonte
In reply to I want this free monitoring by CONCERNED Rn't…
If your daughter was under age 18 in May 2017, she is eligible for a total of 18 years of free credit monitoring. Read more at www.FTC.gov/Equifax.
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In reply to That’s great $125 , and a by Marty 215
If your information was exposed in the data breach, you can request $125 if you decide not to enroll in free credit monitoring, because you already have credit monitoring. Or, you can request up to 10 years of free credit monitoring. You may also request:
In reply to This sucks. WHY CANT THE US by Feelin violated
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In reply to I did everything I was by Millie Sue
Frequently Asked Question #19 on the settlement website www.EquifaxBreachSettlement.com says payments for valid claims will be made after the Court enters a final judgment and the settlement becomes final. Checks or pre-paid cards for valid claims for out-of-pocket Losses, time spent, and alternative reimbursement compensation will be mailed by the Settlement Administrator to the mailing address that you gave.
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Pagination