Equifax Data Breach Lawsuit Attorney

Equifax Data Breach Lawsuit
The giant consumer credit reporting agency, Equifax, was recently hacked, exposing access to the sensitive information of roughly 143 million American consumers. This confidential information includes Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. If you or a loved one believe you have had your private information leaked via this hack, you may be eligible to file a class action lawsuit against Equifax. At Normandie Law Firm, one of the top legal groups in Southern California, our qualified attorneys with experience in data breach cases can guide you through the complicated process of filing a lawsuit for a stolen identity. Our Attorneys experienced in handling Equifax data breach cases can help you file a class action lawsuit or an individual claim.  If you have any questions after this article, please feel free to contact our law offices for a free consultation by one of our skilled associates. You will likely speak to an attorney in Los Angeles, but we serve all areas of California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, and Bakersfield.

Equifax: The Company
Equifax is one of the three large consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States. The other two agencies that are used are Experian and Transunion. Equifax was founded in 1899 and is the oldest of the three agencies. Currently, they own information on over 800 million consumers and more than 88 million business worldwide. On September 7th, 2017, Equifax reported that it had come under a cyber attack resulting in the theft of information of approximately 143 American consumers. This private information includes things like names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and in some instances driver’s license numbers. Additionally, the credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 U.S. consumers are believed to have been exposed. There has yet to be a report of whether PIN numbers were compromised as well, but time will tell whether or not this was part of the accessed information. Anyone who had his information accessed by hackers could face a truly devastating case of identity theft. Identity theft is described as the fraudulent acquisition and use of an individual’s private identifying information, usually for the sake of financial gain. Listed below are some of the damages associated with identity theft:

• Hurt Job Prospects: Employers nowadays regularly check an individual’s credit history when assessing job candidates. A report that is littered with ID theft-related errors could ruin your application. While it is illegal for an employer to refuse anyone work for their credit reports directly, they could still refuse you work indirectly.
• Cause Auto Insurance Rates To Rise: Almost all auto insurers use credit scores to set rates, wherever it is legal (some states ban the practice of it). A low credit score can cause premiums to rise. Insurers cannot directly reject you because of your credit score. However, they can use the score to offer higher rates without explaining as to why.
• Surprise Tax Bills: Some identity theft can involve the stealing of only a Social Security Number. Through just a Social Security Number, the thieves can use a victim’s Social Security Number to work without discovery, pay their bills and pay their taxes. If the thief fails to pay these, the debt is not on him; it’s on the victim.
• Impact on Social Security Income Credits: The theft of a Social Security number could keep a victim from applying for Social Security Income Benefits
• Slow Down Tax Refunds: According to the Treasury Department, 1.6 million taxpayers were impacted by identity theft in the first six months of 2013. In turn, the IRS has stepped up its anti-ID theft efforts, and as a result has slowed down the tax returns of legitimate taxpayers.
• Left with Criminal Record: Perhaps one of the most dangerous forms of identity theft, criminal identity theft involves a convicted criminal using the identity of another individual to get away from another serious conviction and to clear their names of the crimes they had been convicted for.
• (Virtually) Kill You: Some Identity thieves will take the information of another and label themselves as dead to avoid creditors. The Social Security Administration wrongly declares roughly 14,000 people dead every year.
• Receive Wrong Treatment At Hospital: Medical Identity Theft can take on many forms, but the most common are criminals trying to take money through a doctor by creating fake patients and filing fake claims.
• Keep Children From Getting Financial Aid: The Identity Theft of children can be incredibly devastating, as in some cases it can go undetected for years. One of the main ways children discover they have had their identities stolen from them is when they fill financial aid forms which check applicants for signs of a poor credit history. If they find a poor credit history it is likely they will refuse loaning a potential student the money they need.

Regardless of the damages, you have sustained from Identity Theft, you may be entitled to collect a claim for monetary compensation. Those damaged by the Equifax hack may find resolution by suing Equifax through a class action lawsuit. An expert attorney who has experience in data breach cases will be able to help you file a claim. However, if you have experienced identity theft, there are some steps to take to ensure that the damages are contained. These steps are listed below:

• Notify affected creditors or bank
• Put a fraud alert on your credit report
• Check your credit reports
• Consider putting a credit freeze on your reports
• Contact the FTC
• Go to the police
• Send creditors a copy of your ID theft report
• Contact credit reporting agencies
• Change all account passwords
• Contact the Social Security fraud hotline
• Get a new driver’s license
• Contact your telephone and utility companies

Once you have taken these steps, it is in your best interest to consult an experienced attorney to sue Equifax or any other liable credit company for the damages that you have sustained. Your privacy is important, and no one should have his information stolen. An Equifax data breach lawsuit attorney can help you get your life back on track.

Filing a Lawsuit
With an incident as large as the Equifax cyber security breach, the victims number in the millions. In this case, those hoping to receive restorative justice may find their most efficient path is through pursuing a class action lawsuit. A class action lawsuit is one in which a group of people with the same or similar injuries caused by the same product or action file a lawsuit as a single body. If you are considering this path, it is wise to seek the assistance of an Equifax data breach class action lawsuit attorney. There some different kinds of class action lawsuits, some of which are bulleted below:

• Employees that experience a pattern or practice of racial, age, or gender discrimination by their employer
• Home or business owners that are affected by a corporate-caused environmental disaster.
• Patients that are prescribed a medication that has a dangerous side effect that the manufacturer was aware of and failed to disclose
• Consumers and small business owners who paid an inflated price for a product after a group of corporations conspired to fix prices
• Investors who lost their savings due to securities fraud committed by senior executives of a publicly traded company
• Individuals who had their private communications recorded by a corporation without their knowledge or authorization

Any of these reasons are fit enough for a successful class action lawsuit; however, for the sake of this article, a class action lawsuit in the Equifax incident would fall under the theft of private information. Class action lawsuits have their benefits and their drawbacks. For instance, class action lawsuits often cost far less in legal fees, making it easier for the average consumer to file a lawsuit. On the other hand, class action lawsuits in some instances have diminished returns as the compensation amount is spread over a large number of individuals. Filing an Equifax class action lawsuit can often time be an incredibly challenging process, and shouldn’t be handled alone. This is particularly true of a lawsuit filed against Equifax, as large companies like Equifax have the resources to employ a whole host of legal experts to dispute your claims. For this reason, it is important that you retain the assistance of skilled Equifax data breach lawyers.

How Normandie Law Firm Can Help
Having a skilled attorney with experience handling data breach claims on your side can mean the difference between filing a successful claim for compensation and having your case dismissed from court entirely. If you file your case with our top-rated Los Angeles law firm, you may find some if not all of the following damages compensable:

• Past & Future Medical Expenses
• Loss of Wages
• Loss of Potential Future Wages
• Emotional Damages (anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more)
• Pain & Suffering
• Punitive Damages (which are only able to be won by experienced lawyers, as the damages are often viewed as harsh or unnecessary and are very difficult to win)

FREE CONSULTATION AVAILABLE TO YOU:  If you or a loved one has been faced with financial damages as a result of the recent Equifax security breach, our accomplished Los Angeles attorneys can help you figure out what to do next, and how best to pursue legal action. At Normandie Law Firm, our team of well versed legal consultants is committed to ensuring all of our clients have the resources they need to fight and win their case. As a show of our commitment to you and your case, we offer each of our clients the benefits of a zero fee guarantee policy. Under this zero fee policy, all clients don’t pay for our services until their cases are won. If you feel in need of a second opinion, second opinion case reviews are also free under this policy. Call our law offices today for a free consultation with an attorney with expertise in data breach injury lawsuits, and we can discuss the incident, your damages, and the path to receiving proper compensation for your damages.

Don’t hesitate to speak to an Equifax lawsuit lawyer experienced in identity theft cases. Contact Normandie Law Firm today.