NORTH CAROLINA – Attorney General Josh Stein announced Monday that he has reached a settlement with Equifax as the result of an investigation into a massive 2017 data breach.

  • Equifax will pay up to $700 million to settle a massive data breach that happened in 2017.
  • North Carolina is entitled to more than $4.5 million of that.
  • The breach impacted 150 million people. 

Equifax, a consumer credit reporting agency, will pay up to $700 million to settle a 2017 data breach that exposed Social Security numbers and other private information of nearly 150 million people; or nearly half the U.S. population.

 

 

The breach is thought to have affected many North Carolinians, and the company has agreed to pay $4,563,223.03 to the state for restitution.

“Equifax had access to people’s most sensitive personal information,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “The company had a responsibility to keep that data secure. Because it did not, one in every two Americans’ personal information was exposed to hacking. Thanks to this settlement, Equifax will be held accountable and affected North Carolinians will see restitution.”

This is the largest data breach settlement in history.

People will be able to obtain information about the settlement, check their eligibility to file a claim, and file a claim on the Equifax Settlement Breach online registry on the company’s website.