Equifax compromised the data of 147 million people….. and now they're going to pay-- literally. The settlement with the government is $425 million. Sounds good.
So -- how do you get your hands on the money? You file a claim. Now??? Nope. The claims process doesn't start until after court approval, so who knows when.
WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW?
*Sign up for Federal Trade Commission updates so you'll know when the claim portal even opens
*Get paperwork together: any receipts, invoices from freezing your credit report, fees you paid to an accountant or attorney, money you spend on unauthorized charges losses, credit monitoring, even postage or phone charges.
*Chronicle your time. Did you put in hours trying to fix the mess that came with the data breach? The settlement could pay you $25 for each hour up to 20 hours.
WHAT COULD YOU GET?
*Up to 10 years of free credit monitoring or $125 if you decide not to enroll because you already have credit monitoring
*$25 for every hour you spent fixing the issue (up to 20 hours)
*Up to $20,000 per person (that’s where that paperwork comes in handy!)
*6 Free Credit Reports a year
HOW THE MONEY WILL BE ISSUED
Check or an issued debit card