West Virginia Attorney General issued the following announcement on July 24.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced West Virginia consumers affected by the massive Equifax data breach can now file claims as part of a $425 million consumer restitution fund.
The claims process is now open. Eligible consumers must submit restitution claims online or by mail before Jan. 22, 2020.
“Now is the time for consumers to take action,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “The Equifax data breach put nearly half of our state’s population at risk of identity theft. Our settlement now gives consumers a chance to recoup unauthorized charges to their accounts or money spent to secure their identities in the days that followed.”
The $425 million consumer restitution fund is just one aspect of a much broader settlement, which also requires Equifax to pay West Virginia nearly $2.4 million, a dramatically enhanced amount because of the state’s independent lawsuit against the credit reporting firm.
The data breach, announced by Equifax in September 2017, put more than 730,000 West Virginians at risk for identity theft and financial fraud. Attorney General Morrisey’s lawsuit followed months later and became one of the first state suits against Equifax.
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