Source: Getty
147 million Americans had their credit data compromised in the 2017 Equifax data breach, and Monday the Federal Trade Commission ruled that the credit reporting agency will have to pay up to $700 million in individual compensation and civil penalties to the public. And you could be eligible for some of that money.
The commission’s online claims process, indicates that those whose personal information was exposed can get free credit monitoring for 10 years, If you already have credit monitoring, you can choose to receive $125.
For those who had to spend time and money as a result of the breach, Equifax must provide payment or reimbursement, of up to $20,000 to cover losses for things like unauthorized charges on your accounts, attorney or accountant fees, the cost of freezing or unfreezing your credit report, or the cost of credit monitoring.
You can even be compensated for your time if you spent time working through problems that stemmed from the breach. If you can provide documentation, about time spent you can get paid $25 per hour for up to 20 hours of personal time spent.
You can file a claim through Equifax’s data breach settlement page. Equifax also has a website where you can find out whether your personal information was exposed.
The deadline to exclude yourself or opt out of the settlement process is November 19, and all claims need to be filed by January 22.Source: Getty
