Equifax breach - basic claim up to $125 back for 2017 hack - or free credit monitoring or document up to $20k losses

Heads Up!

The claim administrator is sending out emails instructing people to amend their claim with the name(s) of your "credit monitoring" service(s). My Mom got one, but we did not. I logged into my claim, and it did, indeed, want that information. I suspect lots of people won't receive the emails, and then they'll be denying claims en masse.

Due date to amend is October 15th.

Email text below
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Your Claim Number: REDACTED

According to our records, you filed a claim for alternative compensation of up to $125 in connection with the Equifax data breach settlement and certified on the claim form that you had some form of credit monitoring or protection in place and will continue to have the credit monitoring in place for a minimum of six months from the date of your claim filing.

You must either verify or amend your claim by October 15, 2019.

If you do not, your claim for alternative compensation will be denied.
•To verify your claim for alternative compensation, you must provide the name of your credit monitoring service that you had in place when you filed your claim.
- OR -
•You can amend your claim to request free credit monitoring instead of alternative compensation.
The easiest way to verify or amend your claim is by visiting the official Settlement Website here.

The amount you receive in connection with your alternative compensation claim may be significantly reduced depending on how many valid claims are ultimately submitted by other class members for this relief. Based on the number of potentially valid claims that have been submitted to date, payments of these benefits likely will be substantially lowered and will be distributed on a proportional basis if the settlement becomes final. Depending on the number of valid claims that are filed, the amount you receive for alternative compensation may be a small percentage of your initial claim.

Please note that if you do not take action by October 15, 2019, your claim for alternative compensation will be denied.

You can also verify or amend your claim by sending us a letter stating either the name of the credit monitoring service you had in place when you filed your claim or that you wish to amend your claim to select credit monitoring instead. Please include your full name, claim number from the top of this email, and zip code to the address below:
In re Equifax Data Breach Settlement
c/o JND Legal Administration
PO Box 91318
Seattle, WA 98111-9418
Further information about your rights and options, including the right to exclude yourself from the settlement, is available at www.EquifaxBreachSettlement.com.

This email is from the Court-appointed settlement administrator, not Equifax. Please do not contact Equifax with questions. To contact the settlement administrator, click here.

Email Disclaimer

The Equifax Data Breach Settlement Administrator will never ask you to provide sensitive information, such as, your Social Security Number or Tax ID, Bank Account Number, Credit Card Number, Driver's License or Passport Number, or Password, etc. via email. All email communications sent by the Equifax Data Breach Settlement Administrator OR on behalf of the settlement administrator will originate from [email protected], the official email address of the settlement. If you receive an email which you suspect to be fraudulent, do not reply or do anything it instructs you to do, but immediately forward it to [email protected].

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The entire $125 payout from FTC was BS.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/articl...om-equifax

Check if you qualify.
https://eligibility.equifaxbreach...ligibility

Note, it is unlikely you will get up to $125.....
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/...unt-on-it/

The $125 cash payment comes with several major strings attached. For one, it's only available to people who already have credit-monitoring services, which typically cost between $10 to $30 a month. On top of that, you'll have to provide proof you will continue to use the service for the next six months.
..... The pool of money to fund the payments is topped at $31 million. If the claims exceed that amount, the per person payout "will be lowered and distributed on a proportional basis," the settlement site's FAQs notes.

In other words, if more than 248,000 people make claims on the $31 million pot of money, the per person payout will be less than $125. If all 148 million victims claimed the award, the payout would be lowered to 21 cents per person.


Based on Equifax breachsettlement FAQ-10, it is up to $125 back and not at least $125.
https://www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com/faq

Even if you file for reimbursement, there's a good chance you won't actually get the full $125 that Equifax and the FTC are talking about. Things are worded carefully in the agreement, but the bottom line is there's a limited amount of money in the payout pool, and it won't cover $125 checks for 147 million people.
Equifax will pay at least 380 millions dollar into a Consumer Restitution Fund and there are 147 million people affected.

======================

You can get either 4 years of free credit monitoring (as stated in FAQ 8). Or Alternative Reimbursement Compensation for up to $125 (as stated in FAQ 10) and you must certify that you have some form of credit monitoring or protection services on the date you submit your claim form and that you will keep those services for a minimum of six (6) months.

From their FAQ https://www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com/faq

8. How will the settlement help protect me against future identity theft and fraud?

Settlement Benefit: Credit Monitoring Services: The settlement provides a way to help protect yourself from unauthorized use of your personal information. Settlement Class Members may submit a claim to enroll in at least four (4) years of three-bureau credit monitoring services, provided by Experian, at no cost. These services include the following features:

• Three-bureau credit monitoring providing notice of changes to your credit report at all three national credit bureaus;
• Up to $1 million dollars in insurance covering costs related to identity theft or fraud;
• Real-time notification of credit inquiries and other notifications;
• On-demand online access to a free copy of one-bureau credit report, updated on a monthly basis;
• CyberAgent® Dark Web Monitoring that monitors internet activity for the trading or selling of your personal information;
• Customer support provided by Experian; and
• Many other features described here [equifaxbreachsettlement.com].

10. What if I already have credit monitoring or identity protection services?

Settlement Benefit: Cash Alternative Reimbursement Compensation: If you already have some other kind of credit monitoring or protection services, and do not claim the free Credit Monitoring Services available through the settlement, you may file a claim for Alternative Reimbursement Compensation for up to $125. To claim Alternative Reimbursement Compensation you must certify that you have some form of credit monitoring or protection services on the date you submit your claim form and that you will keep those services for a minimum of six (6) months.





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