According to multiple sources, a significant number of Equifax customers have been targeted by criminals after their personal information was stolen in the massive Equifax breach. Unwilling to take the hit for Equifax’s incompetence and negligence, many are bringing a major class action claim in the U.S. to recover their losses.
We’re representing a large number of people who have come forward to seek compensation for the Equifax breach here in the U.K. as well. We firmly believe that victims should be entitled to compensation in a case of this nature.
According to the lawsuit in America, the claimants have said that the criminals are using their stolen information to:
- Apply for mortgages
- Apply for credit cards
- Apply for student loans
- Filing insurance claims
- Making fraudulent charges
- Going into bank debit accounts
The claimants are reportedly suffering a lot of financial losses as well as having their financial credit scores skewed; all because one giant company failed to patch known security flaws. Reminder: Equifax knew about the vulnerabilities months before the breach, but failed to secure their systems. The claimants are using this fact to propel their class action lawsuit; and so are we here in our U.K. action.
Equifax had every chance to fix the known vulnerabilities and protect its customers. Equifax’s epic breach was entirely preventable.
The credit-monitoring firm was even used by local authorities and regulators. The huge data breach that saw the breach of some 145.5 million consumers’ personal data included:
- Names
- Addresses
- Contact information
- Social security numbers (America)
- Driver’s license information
With this information, criminals could – and allegedly did – steal identities and take out loans and dip into bank accounts. Through what appears to be sheer incompetence, Equifax failed to recognise the importance of protecting such confidential information.
Claimants in the U.S. class action come from all 50 states. The claim is being filed in an Atlanta District Court, in the state where Equifax is based. The lawsuit notes that home buyers and mortgage applicants are even more vulnerable to further attack, as they, “tend to have significant information on file with credit bureaus”, said the Washington Post.
If you have been affected by the Equifax breach and are a U.K. resident then give our claims team a call for free on 0800 634 7575, or if you prefer use our form below to create a callback at a time which suits you better.
You can always chat live to our claims team by using our LiveChat facility on this page and get instant advice on making a claim for Equifax compensation.