It was just a few days ago that I told you about the Equifax settlement of claims brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and all but two of the states’ Attorneys General related to the avoidable 2017 data breach in which personal data on more than 147 million people was stolen.  The personal information included the names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of 147 million people putting them in serious danger of identity theft for the rest of their lives. In the Scam of the day for July 29, 2019 https://scamicide.com/2019/07/28/scam-of-the-day-july-29-2019-the-truth-about-the-equifax-settlement/  I told you about the terms of the settlement and how you could apply for cash or credit monitoring and other benefits..  Scammers are always quick to exploit anything in the news and they have been setting up fake Equifax settlement claim pages in which they seek to obtain your personal information in order to make you a victim of identity theft so it is very important that you go to the proper website to file your claim.  Scammers are adept at having their phony websites appear high on Google and other search engine searches so merely because a website is high on a search does not mean that it is legitimate.  It is important to note that you do not need to provide your Social Security number to file a claim for benefits under the settlement although you will be asked for the last four digits of your Social Security number if you go to the real settlement website to find out if you were affected by the data breach.  As I described in the July 29th Scam of the day, it is important to file soon if you are seeking the $125 payment provided for in the settlement to victims of the data breach who already have credit monitoring, however, it is critical that you apply to the correct website.

TIPS

If you have not done so already, the first step to take is to find out if you were one of the 147 million people affected by the data breach and therefore eligible to apply for benefits under the settlement.  Here is a link to the section of the settlement website to input your information to determine if you were a part of the data breach.  https://eligibility.equifaxbreachsettlement.com/en/eligibility

If you were affected by the data breach, here is the real link to the part of the settlement website where you can file a claim.   All claims must be filed no later than January 22, 2020, however, I urge you to file a claim as soon as possible.  While no payments will be sent until after the settlement receives judicial approval, which is expected in December, it is still important to file your claim as soon as possible.  https://www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com/file-a-claim

As further developments occur in regard to the Equifax settlement, I will report them to you.

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