January 22nd is the Last Day to File a Claim in the Equifax Data Breach Settlement!
We’ve been following this news since 2017!
If you were affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach, you have until January 22nd, 2020 to file a claim. This data breach affected over 140 million people, including many Hip2Save readers. You can read more about the original security breach here, along with the updates we posted here and here.
Not sure if your information was exposed?
Head on over here to check your eligibility for the Equifax Data Breach Settlement. Simply enter your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security Number to confirm your eligibility.
As a result of this settlement, claimants are entitled to either 10 years of credit monitoring or a small cash payout. If your data was compromised and you wish to file a claim, you may do so directly through the Equifax Data Breach Settlement website. The deadline is tomorrow, so don’t delay!
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Thank you for the reminder!
You’re so welcome!
I have a query. I checked and found that my data was affected by this breach and I didn’t know this. I have been using only credit karma as free service since 2014 after I opened my first credit card. Recently I bought a new car on loan. Now if I want to get benefit of this settlement. What option I should select without showing any documents because I don’t have any? Should I go for free credit monitoring service given by them …will that be worth ? Or should I go for $25 spend per hour option (max we can submit 10hours without documents proof) . Please advice ! I am new here in USA and have not much idea about this.
I came across this article which I doubt I can post on this forum but it basically says that you should go for the credit monitoring. It is highly unlikely that you will see anywhere close to the $125.
“Why should you be skeptical that you’ll ever see $125 from Equifax? Because of this little disclaimer on the settlement breach website: “If there are more than $31 million claims for Alternative Reimbursement Compensation [i.e. the $125], all payments for Alternative Reimbursement Compensation will be lowered and distributed on a proportional basis.”
What does the article say about getting a refund if you spent time filing police reports, calling companies regarding fraudulent charges, etc.?? The form indicates you will get reimbursed for your time, but I don’t want to spend the time getting the information all together if I won’t get reimbursed. Thanks for your help!
It doesn’t talk specifically about that. It does ask about it when you are feeling out the form though.
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/equifax-125-settlement-payout-will-be-less-credit-monitoring.html
THANK YOU for this incredible helpful reminder! Your site never disappoints. Thank you for always providing us with the inside scoop!😃
You’re most welcome! Thank you for the sweet comment! SO glad these posts are helpful!
Thanks so much for the reminder! I’ve been procrastinating not knowing what to do. I am affected. Been receiving others mail for 2 years now. Just don’t know if I want to trust Equifax for credit monitoring. ???
Thank you!! Also, not sure if you’ve seen it but there is an open settlement case for Infant’s Tylenol. I will post the link here… this is one class action suit that I can really understand. Sometimes I see class action suits for absolutely ridiculous reasons, but I personally have bought infant’s tylenol simply because I DID think it was different from children’s tylenol. Which is the reason for the lawsuit.. it’s EXACTLY the same!!
https://www.infantstylenolsettlement.com
You’re welcome! Thank YOU for the reminder! https://hip2save.com/2020/01/07/johnson-and-johnson-infants-tylenol-class-action-lawsuit-settlement/
Sorry… Somehow I TOTALLY missed this post! =)
No worries! 💖
THANK YOU for posting this! I thought they were different, too! I freaked out when I couldn’t find Infants’ one time and had to ask the pharmacist.
I am trying to check my info to see if it was breached and the link isn’t working
Oh darn! Maybe check again in a different browser Or try switching to desktop view if using a mobile device. Hope that helps!
Just did mine and my info was breached 🙁 I got a letter in the mail and completely forgot . Thank you . Mine was breached at target when they had that system hacked 🙁
DARN! You’re very welcome. So sorry to hear about that.
What does the article say about getting a refund if you spent time filing police reports, calling companies regarding fraudulent charges, etc.?? The form indicates you will get reimbursed for your time, but I don’t want to spend the time getting the information all together if I won’t get reimbursed. Thanks for your help!
Hi Diane! When I filed my claim, there was a section where you can put down your time and money spent – I assume this means that you will get a higher reimbursement. I can’t remember exactly what it said (I didn’t spend time or money so I was able to skip that part) but it is in there😀 I hope this helps!
Thank you! We totally forgot about it.
You’re welcome, Sue! Glad this was helpful!
Thanks for the reminding. I went for the credit monitoring. After that happen, my family we did a credit freeze on all three credit bureau.
You’re so welcome, Tawana!
I thought I had submitted my claim, but guess I didn’t. Just did it. Thanks for the reminder!
I’m trying to figure out how to send proof of the 20 hours of phone calls that I actually made for 1.5 weeks
If you are going to put security freezes on your reports, consider putting one on a lesser-known fourth report: NCTUE. NCTUE is the National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange.
“NCTUE is a membership of companies that provide services (telecommunication, pay TV and utilities) and report and share data relative to their customers’ accounts to aid in risk mitigation.
NCTUE is a consumer reporting agency that maintains data such as payment and account history, reported by telecommunication, pay TV and utility service providers that are members of NCTUE. The Exchange Service Center is a third party contractor of NCTUE and provides services to consumers on behalf of NCTUE.”
Freezing your disclosure report prevents others from opening these types of accounts in your name.
The database is maintained by Equifax, but freezing your Equifax report doesn’t freeze your NCTUE report. The systems are separate.
https://www.nctue.com/consumers
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a list of reporting agencies(national and specialty). Several allow free reports. This is the 2019 list.
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/credit-reports-and-scores/consumer-reporting-companies/companies-list/
Thank you! I got an email about it and then promptly forgot about it.
SO happy this was a helpful reminder! You’re most welcome!
I kept meaning to check this, so I’m glad this was posted. I finally checked it out and it turns out I was not affected by this particular breach. I have been involved in other breaches where I actually received written notice. I think everyone has to be vigilante and keep up with their accounts these days because the hackers will always keep trying!
Why would you choose credit monitoring from the company that breached your data? The more of us that choose this option, the less painful it is for them. Honestly, Equifax was so careless with our information, it really should be criminal.