The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers affected by Equifax’s 2017 hack who are seeking a cash payout that they may not get the full $125 promised under the consumer credit bureau’s settlement with state and federal regulators.
Instead, the commission is urging the victims of the breach to opt for up to 10 years of free credit monitoring.
Robert Schoshinski, assistant director of the FTC’s division of privacy and identity protection, said in a blog post the public response to its settlement with Equifax has been overwhelming, and led millions to go to a website set up by the commission that allows affected consumers to file a claim.
“But there’s a downside to this unexpected number of claims,” Schoshinski wrote.
Equifax’s settlement with the FTC allows for the 147 million people affected to seek free credit monitoring or, for those who already receive the service, to claim up to $125.
“But the pot of money that pays for that part of the settlement is $31 million,” Schoshinski warned. “A large number of claims for cash instead of credit monitoring means only one thing: each person who takes the money option will wind up only getting a small amount of money. Nowhere near the $125 they could have gotten if there hadn’t been such an enormous number of claims filed.”
The FTC said consumers who haven’t yet submitted a claim should consider taking the free credit monitoring, which is “worth a lot more.”
Equifax reached a deal with state and federal regulators last week to pay at least $650 million related to its data breach that exposed the personal data of 147 million Americans. The settlement requires the company to create a fund of at least $300 million and up to $425 million for consumers affected by the hack. Of the money in the fund, only $31 million is designated for cash payments.
The Atlanta-based credit bureau also agreed to pay $175 million in fines to 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, which investigated the intrusion.
News of the settlement’s terms last week prompted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to encourage people to “go get your check from Equifax!”
“$125 is a nice chunk of change,” she tweeted. “Get that money and pay off a bill, sock or away, take a day off, treat yourself, whatever you’d like — but cash that check!”
But after it became clear that many people would not receive $125 if all 147 million affected by the breach sought the cash payment, Ocasio-Cortez encouraged consumers to opt for the free credit monitoring.
“There’s apparently a run on settlements so there’s anxiety people are going to get 16 cent checks,” she tweeted. “But if you choose 10 years of credit monitoring, Equifax *must* cover it.”
