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Utah settles with Equifax over data leak, what you need to know
Jul 22, 2019, 7:46 AM | Updated: 9:05 am
FILE - This July 21, 2012, file photo shows signage at the corporate headquarters of Equifax Inc., in Atlanta. Equifax will pay up to $700 million to settle with the Federal Trade Commission and others over a 2017 data breach that exposed Social Security numbers and other private information of nearly 150 million people. The proposed settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, if approved by the federal district court Northern District of Georgia, will provide up to $425 million in monetary relief to consumers, a $100 million civil money penalty, and other relief. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
(AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Attorney General’s office announced Monday that Utah along with the rest of the nation has settled with Equifax for $600 million after the credit monitoring service suffered a data breach in 2017 that affected over 147 million Americans.
According to the AG’s office, 1.2 million Utahns were affected and Utah’s portion of the settlement will add up to $1,422,915.91.
Utah’s Attorney General Sean Reyes says he’s happy with the steps Equifax has taken to reimburse customers saying, “I’m pleased Equifax will take serious steps to protect and reimburse consumers, even if it comes only after one of the worst lapses of consumer data protection in our history.
“I urge Utah consumers affected by the breach to take advantage of Equifax’s agreement to pay for credit monitoring, identity theft protection, and other measures and reimbursements,” he continued.
In addition to the monetary reimbursements, Equifax has also agreed to offer 10 years of free credit monitoring to affected customers as well as free Identity Theft Restoration Services.
They will also be required to beef up their data security practices and educate consumers about their credit reports.
What to do if you were affected.
If you are unsure if you were affected by the 2017 data breach you can look that information up at ftc.gov/Equifax and ftc.gov/Equifax-data-breach or by calling toll free (833) 759-2982. Equifax has also set up a lookup tool www.EquifaxBreachSettlement.com
If you were affected you can also make a claim through that same website. There is no set deadline currently.
You can find a list of frequently asked questions and a full list of resources from the Attorney General’s office here as well as a full list of information from the Federal Trade Commission.
You can see the full conversation with Richard Piatt, a spokesman with the Utah Attorney General’s office on Utah’s Morning News below.
