How to get compensation if you are an Equifax breach victim

As a result of the significant 2017 Equifax Inc. data breach that compromised personal and sensitive data of more than 140 million people, the company recently agreed to a $700 million settlement. Out of that amount, $425 million will be used to compensate consumers and provide credit monitoring, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will receive $100 million and $175 million will go to 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

How to get compensation if you are a victim of the Equifax Data Breach:

Image of Home Page navigation bar for Equifax Data Breach Claims

Go to the Equifax Data Breach Settlement page to file your claim(s) before January 22nd, 2020. The compensation amount will vary depending upon the severity of what  you experienced as a result of the breach and depending upon the amount of money and time you spent remedying your situation. The links on the page will lead you to a variety of helpful and important details but a general summary is provided below.

1. You are entitled to $125 or 10 years of free credit monitoring services.
2. You are entitled to additional compensation up to $20,000 if you took action to remedy any misuse of your personal data and information as a result of the data breach.
   • Request compensation up to 20 hours total at $25 per hour for time spent remedying fraud or ID Theft.
   • Request compensation for any out-of-pocket losses as a result of the data breach.
   • Request up to 25% of the cost of Equifax credit or identity monitoring products you paid for in the year before the data breach was announced.
3. You are eligible for at least 7 years of free identity restoration services to help offset the effects of fraud and identity theft. These services include:
   • Access to a U.S. based call center providing identity restoration related services.
   • Identity theft event assistance by a certified Identity Theft Restoration Specialist that will be assigned to you.
   • Step-by-step assistance to deal with companies, government agencies, and credit bureaus.