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Equifax Data Breach Lawsuit

Status of the Equifax Class-Action Litigation

On Feb. 12, 2018, the Honorable Thomas W. Thrash, Jr., Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia, who is overseeing the multi-district litigation in federal court in Atlanta, appointed lead counsel made up of plaintiffs’ lawyers who will represent the interests of the entire class of Equifax victims.

Corboy & Demetrio is no longer accepting individual clients regarding the Equifax breach.

We have provided below important consumer information for data breach victims:


How can i find out if my personal data was compromised?

Visit the Equifax website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, to learn Equifax’s current determination as to whether your information was compromised. You will need to enter your last name and the last six digits of your SSN. Make sure you are on a secure computer and have an encrypted network connection when accessing this site.

I checked Equifax's site already and it said I am not impacted. Am I in the clear?

No, Equifax said it would update its site by Oct. 8th with the 2.5 million additional people whom its auditors determined were impacted but not reported by Equifax, and you should recheck for that reason. But even if the website says you were not impacted, you still could be in the future.

We recommend taking the following steps:

1)  Freeze your credit with ALL THREE credit bureaus:  Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This will help prevent credit, loans and    other services from being opened in your name without permission. The security freeze can be added online or by phone and each credit bureau may charge a fee depending upon your situation and state law.

2) Sign up for credit monitoring:  Enroll in the credit protection services offered by companies such as LifeLock.com, IdentityForce.com or CompleteID.com. Even if Equifax has claimed that your credit has not been compromised, you should seriously consider enrolling in a credit protection plan.

3) Place fraud alerts at each credit reporting agency.
4) Get a copy of your credit report from each credit agency and check for suspicious activity.
 

How can I better protect myself in the future?

We recommend enrolling in the credit protection services offered by companies such as LifeLock.com, IdentityForce.com or CompleteID.com. Even if Equifax has claimed that your credit has not been compromised, you should seriously consider enrolling in a credit protection plan.

Should I place a security freeze on my credit file?

Yes, you should consider placing a security freeze on your credit file to prevent credit, loans and other services from being opened in your name without permission.  Besides Equifax, there are two credit bureaus: TransUnion and Experian. To add a security freeze, each credit bureau needs to be contacted separately. The security freeze can be added online or by phone and each credit bureau may charge a fee depending upon your situation and state law.

While we do recommend a credit freeze as a form of protection, beware that you may incur charges to place a freeze and/or to remove it when you apply for credit.

You should also be aware that adding a security freeze to your credit file may delay, interfere with or prohibit the timely approval of any request or application for a new loan, credit, mortgage, insurance, government services or payments, rental housing, employment, investment, license, cellular telephone, utilities, digital signature, Internet credit card transactions or other services, including an extension of credit at point of sale.

Companies that you already have a business relationship with may view your credit report for account review purposes. A consumer’s information may be used for the purposes of prescreening as provided for by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, even if a security freeze is on the report.

Also, please be aware that a security freeze is not 100% fail-safe. Creditors can issue credit without pulling a credit report.

In addition, it may not be enough to freeze your credit at only one bureau because creditors may choose between three credit bureaus to use.  To better protect yourself, freeze your credit at all three.

In addition to Equifax, you should contact:

Additional Resources and Information

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website: IdentityTheft.gov. The site provides a wealth of information for consumers, such as:

Illinois Attorney General

The Illinois Attorney General has an Identity Theft Hotline, plus many printable resources.

The toll-free hotline, 1-866-999-5630, is staffed with advocates who are trained to guide Illinois residents through the process of identity theft.

For more information, visit: http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/hotline.html.

If you reside outside the state of Illinois, contact your state’s Office of the Attorney General, or visit its website for information on identity theft.

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