If you're one of the 147 million people in the United States affected by the egregious Equifax credit bureau hack in 2017, you were probably resigned to getting some free credit monitoring out of it and moving on. But nearly two years later, attorneys general from 50 US states and territories, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finally have your back. Sort of. They've negotiated a settlement with Equifax that entitles all victims to 10 years of free credit monitoring, or $125. Here's how to make sure you get yours.
Of course, it's tough to see how a payout that can maybe cover an IKEA dresser or a month of your wireless bill is adequate compensation for the loss of very valuable personal data, including Social Security numbers. But it's all most victims can collect. (Read on for more about possible additional payouts if you've suffered proximal damages as a result of the breach.)
"The Equifax data breach and settlement serves as a tragic case study of net economic loss to all but the perpetrators," Jerry Ray, chief operating officer of the data defense firm SecureAge, said in an email. "The settlement does very little for those whose data was breached, especially when the damage will hit individuals in the future where attribution to this single breach may be impossible."
But in the spirit of "it's better than nothing," here's how to collect your sweet Equifax windfall.
The two crucial websites for this are the Equifax settlement website and the FTC Equifax settlement equifax settlement money
