Check Your Eligibility For A Portion Of The $700M Equifax Data Breach Settlement

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - If you're among 147 million Americans whose credit data was compromised in the 2017 Equifax data breach you may be eligible for compensation.

Equifax has agreed to pay at least $575 million and up to $700 million to compensate those whose personal data was compromised.

The breach, one of the largest in U.S. history, happened after hackers exploited a security flaw known by Equifax and gained access to their servers. It took more than six weeks before the credit reporting company even noticed that intruders had targeted their databases.

The compromised information, affecting roughly half of the U.S. population, included addresses, birth dates, credit card numbers, driver license numbers, Social Security numbers, and in some cases, data from passports.

There are a number of options available for people affected by the breach recoup damages. Individuals can get free credit monitoring for 10 years, opt to receive $125, receive compensation for things like attorney or accountant fees, and with documentation be compensated, at a rate of $25 per hour, for time spent trying to investigate and correct any personal identification issues.

The Federal Trade Commission has posted links on social media where you can check to see3 if you were affected by the breach and fill out the form specifying the claims you feel entitled.

The deadline to file claims, on the FTC website and by mail, is January 22.