The Settlement received final approval from the Court on January 13, 2020. You may review the Final Approval Order and Final Order and Judgment by clicking here.
The implementation of Settlement benefits and payments began after the completion of the appeals process related to those orders. For questions about Settlement Benefits and Settlement Payments, please visit https://www.
Additionally, please visit www.
What are the Consumer Plaintiffs’Claims Against Equifax?
On Sept. 8, 2017, Equifax disclosed publically for the first time a cybersecurity incident, or “data breach,” potentially impacting approximately 143 million U.S. consumers. The company acknowledged that unauthorized persons exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files. Although it discovered the unauthorized access on July 29 2017, the company failed to inform the public why it delayed notification of the data breach to consumers.
Potentially CompromisedData Types
Equifax claims that (based on its investigation), the unauthorized access occurred from mid-May through July 2017. The types of personal data potentially compromised includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. In addition, Equifax has admitted that credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 U.S. consumers, and certain dispute documents with personal identifying information for approximately 182,000 U.S. consumers, were accessed. Personal data like this is a major score for cybercriminals who will likely look to capitalize on it by launching targeted phishing campaigns.
Why Are So ManyPeople Impacted?
Equifax is one of three nationwide credit-reporting companies that track and rates the financial history and creditworthiness of U.S. consumers. The companies are supplied with data about loans, loan payments and credit cards, as well as information on everything from child support payments, credit limits, missed rent and utilities payments, addresses and employer history. All this information, and more, factors into credit scores.
What BLG Is Doing:
When companies maintain lax and inadequate approaches to data security, the personally identifiable information of consumers becomes vulnerable. Equifax has a duty to safeguard consumers’ personally identifiable information. The Barnes Law Group has succeeded in obtaining relief for consumers in data-breach cases in the past, including a leading role in the recent Home Depot Data Breach Settlement. The Barnes Law Group has already filed two actions against Equifax in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. These suits seek to represent consumers whose personally identifiable information has been exposed due to apparent vulnerabilities in Equifax’s cybersecurity system.
What Should I Do About The Equifax Data Breach?
Check Your Credit
Regardless of whether your name shows up in Equifax’s list of potentially compromised customers (https://trustedidpremier.com/eligibility/eligibility.html) you should order your credit report from all three Credit Reporting Agencies and determine if you have had any unauthorized inquiries or any unauthorized credit accounts opened since May 1, 2017.
If someone tried to open credit in my name?
Where Can I get information about starting a credit freeze?
Arbitration: Did you waive your right to litigate damage claims in a court of law?
If you enrolled in Equifax’s free credit monitoring service, you have agreed to arbitrate your dispute. This means you’ve allowed Equifax to pick the person who will decide whether anyone at Equifax has done anything wrong and how much they should pay. Although Equifax has since said that this arbitration agreement does not apply to the data breach, if you want to make sure that Equifax will be held accountable for your damages in a court of law, you should immediately send the following letter:
–Date–
Equifax Consumer Services, LLC
ATTN: Arbitration Opt-Out
P.O. Box 105496
Atlanta, Georgia 30348
Re: Arbitration Opt-Out Notice
–Your Name and Address–
To whom it may concern:
I hereby decline to accept mandatory binding arbitration for my dispute against Equifax related to the Equifax data breach and do not agree to waive my legal rights for any and all disputes, damages or causes of action related to the Equifax data breach, or any subsequent services or programs provided by Equifax.
Sincerely,
–Your Name and Address–