Equifax Class Action Settlement 2025 – Check Eligibility, Amount & Payment Date

The 2017 Equifax Data Breach was among the biggest data breaches in the history of the United States that affected the personal information of millions of individuals. Equifax Class Action Settlement dealing with this incident is now almost over and compensation claims deadline has already elapsed. However, a lot of the population still questions what the case was, who could have received payments, and what and when they were paid.

What was Equifax Data Leak?

Equifax, a large US credit rating firm, was the target of a cyber attack in 2017. The individual data of around 147 million of US consumers was breached.

These included:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Social Security number (SSN)
• Address
• And in others licence number of drivers.

This breach was a great menace to the identity security of millions of individuals, and this is the basis of a class action lawsuit which is a case where a huge number of victims come together to have justice served.

Case and Settlement

Equifax settled in a big resolution after several years of court wrangles in 2019. The company under this agreement assured to compensate the affected consumers, as well as assist in securing their identities.

This was settled at about $700 million of which part was set aside to pay direct consumer claims.

Who was eligible?

This compensation could be enjoyed by only those individuals who were one of the 147 million American consumers who were impacted by the data breach of 2017. In case your data was on the list that Equifax had, then you could qualify.

The information included:

• Name
• Date of Birth
• Social Security Number
• Address
• And in some cases, driver’s license or credit card information.

Benefits from the Settlement

Although the deadline for filing claims has now passed, those who previously filed claims were offered some key benefits:

1. Free Credit Monitoring

Eligible consumers were provided with at least four years of three-bureau monitoring (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax).

There was also the option of single-bureau monitoring for an additional six years.

This monitoring ensured you received immediate alerts if someone attempted to misuse your identity.

2. Cash Payment

Many people opted for cash compensation instead of credit monitoring.
Initial estimates were for up to $125, but due to the large number of people who filed claims, the actual amount was significantly lower.

3.Out-of-Pocket Losses

Consumers who suffered financial losses due to this leak—such as expenses related to banking fraud or identity theft—could receive compensation of up to $20,000.

4. Time Compensation

Those who spent time dealing with this data breach (such as filing a report or applying a credit freeze) received payment at $25 per hour for up to 20 hours.

Important Deadlines

Claims were filed in several stages in this case. Below are their key deadlines:

Now that the January 2025 deadline has passed, this means that all major claims for the general public have closed.

When did the payment happen?

• The initial payment round was distributed at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020.
• People who qualified for the cash payment received their payments a bit later but they were much smaller than was initially planned due to the high claim in the funds.
• For instance, it happened that many people received only several dollars to $30 instead of the $125 they were expecting.

What if you haven’t received a payment yet?

• If you filed a claim on time but haven’t received a payment yet—
  you can check your claim status.
• Go to the official website: www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com
• Enter your claim number or registration information there to find out if your claim was approved.
• If you haven’t filed a claim, there’s no possibility of filing a new one.

Beware of Fake Websites and Scams

• Numerous fake websites and email scams have been spread in the name of the Equifax Settlement.
• There have been attempts to defraud people by acquiring personal information or bank details.
• Therefore, it is only FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and the official Equifax Settlement website you can trust.

Official Sources:

🔗 www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com

🔗 www.ftc.gov/equifax

Conclusion

Some final administrative processes (such as late-filed special damage claims) may be ongoing, but the main benefit and payment phase for the general public has concluded.
The Equifax Data Breach uncovered the essentialness of data security in the digital era. Despite the firm having paid the case through a substantial sum of money, the event was a bit of a wake-up call to people that the protection of their money-related data should always be a top priority.

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