01/14/2020
Equifax Deadline: AG Tong, Commissioner Seagull Remind Consumers of January 22 Deadline to File Initial Claim in Equifax Data Breach Settlement
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong and Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull are reminding the over 1.5 million Connecticut residents affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach that the deadline to file an initial claim is Wednesday, January 22, 2020.
Connecticut co-led the nationwide investigation into the 2017 Equifax data breach, which exposed the data of 56 percent of American adults—the largest ever breach of consumer data. The investigation resulted in a $600 million settlement reached last July, the largest data breach settlement in American history. The multistate settlement established a Consumer Restitution Fund of up to $425 million, a $175 million payment to the states, and injunctive relief that also included a significant financial commitment. The State of Connecticut received $4.785 million from the settlement. More information on the settlement can be found here.
"Over 1.5 million Connecticut residents were impacted by the Equifax data breach and are entitled to ten years of free credit monitoring and possibly other restitution. You have until January 22 to visit the Equifax breach settlement website, where you can look up if your information was exposed and file a claim. I urge Connecticut consumers to take advantage of this settlement and protect their personal information," said Attorney General Tong.
"We encourage Connecticut consumers to visit the Equifax data breach settlement website as soon as they can," said Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull. "Consumers deserve to have their personal information protected by businesses. We hope that business will work as hard as they can to comply with the law, and protect consumer data, and that consumers will stay alert for signs that their data may have been compromised."
Residents who were affected should file a claim immediately in order to get the full benefit of the settlement and can do so online at the claims administrator's website: https://www.equifaxbreachsettlement.com/file-a-claim.
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Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
Elizabeth.Benton@ct.gov
860-808-5324 (media office)
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