How Massachusetts Residents Can File Claims Against Equifax

Correction: An earlier version of this story implied Massachusetts residents would have to wait until the state's suit was filed to file claims. That information, which Patch obtained from previously published reports, is incorrect, according to Margaret Quackenbush, a spokesperson for Healey. Patch regrets the error.

BOSTON, MA — Equifax agreed this week to pay up to $700 million for a 2017 data breach that went unnoticed for 76 days, and the three million Massachusetts residents can file claims even as the state moves forward with its own lawsuit against the big-three credit monitoring company. Seperately, Massachusetts and Indiana are moving forward with their own lawsuits against the company.

In the settlement announced this week with the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 48 states, Equifax agreed to pay a total of $425 million to individuals and $175 million to states impacted by the breach. The payments to individuals come in the form of free credit monitoring, cash payments and identity restoration services, and include:

• Free credit-monitoring services for 10 years to those impacted. Those who already have credit-monitoring may apply for a $125 credit.
• Cash payments up to $20,000.
• Seven years of identity-restoration services.

The settlement outlines measures Equifax must take to protect personal data, including weekly security checks and reports as well as studying ways to reduce reliance on Social Security numbers. It must also handle the millions of claims filed by affected customers.

In Massachusetts, residents don't have to wait for the resolution of the lawsuit Attorney General Maura Healey filed against Equifax in Suffolk Superior Court just 12 days after her office was notified of the breach in September 2017. "In this case, the FTC settled claims for the entirety of the country – our lawsuit does not impact MA residents’ ability to file claims," Margaret Quackenbush, a spokesperson for Healey, said in an email.

"Our litigation against Equifax is ongoing," Quackenbush said. "From the beginning, we have said that Equifax must pay a penalty commensurate with the worst data breach in American history, which compromised the private information of more than three million Massachusetts residents."

Up to 143 million consumers, including three million in Massachusetts, had their data compromised in the breach. Hackers likely stole some or all of the personal data. In her lawsuit, Healey claims Equifax knew about the breach on July 29, 2017, but did not report it to the AG's office until Sept. 7, 2017.

The AG’s lawsuit seeks civil penalties, disgorgement of profits, restitution, costs, and attorneys’ fees. The AG’s Office also seeks injunctive relief to prevent harm to Massachusetts residents resulting from the company’s actions and inaction.

What To Do If Impacted By The Equifax Breach

Equifax has a tool so people can check whether they were impacted by the Equifax breach. If you live outside of Massachusetts or Indiana and were impacted, you can file a claim with Equifax on the settlement page.

Those impacted can file a claim with Equifax on the settlement page.

There is also a portal through the Federal Trade Commission dedicated to the Equifax data breach settlement, where the claims page became active Wednesday, July 24.

Healey's office also has a page dedicated to answer questions about the Equifax data breach.

How To Protect Your Personal Information

For those who have been affected by this breach, there are steps that can help protect your information, according to the Federal Trade Commission:

• Get a free credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228.
• Call the Equifax Settlement Administrator at 1-833-759-2982.
• Take advantage of any free services being offered as a result of the breach.
• Use two-factor authentication on your online accounts whenever available.
• Consider a credit freeze.