FTC Announces Settlements after 2017 Data Breach

Both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Wisconsin’s attorney general – part of a coalition of 50 attorneys general – have announced settlements with Equifax that will offer benefits to consumers affected by the company’s Sept. 2017 data breach – a group that is estimated to include roughly half of the American public.

The settlements include up to $425 million to help the roughly 147 million consumers whose information was exposed in the breach. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection strongly encourages Wisconsin residents to read about the settlement at ftc.gov/Equifax and affected consumers to submit their claims. The claims period is open and ends Jan. 22, 2020. “Many Wisconsin residents will be eligible for benefits from this settlement, [which] could include reimbursement for time they spent protecting their identities after the breach and up to 10 years of free credit monitoring or a $125 payment for credit monitoring they may already have,” said Lara Sutherlin, administrator for the Division of Trade and Consumer Protection.