Recently, millions of Americans were affected by a hacking crisis that targeted Equifax. Equifax is a credit reporting agency that collects information on millions of Americans each day, keeps logs of their transactions, and logs data for consumers who are not even Equifax customers. Many details of our lives have been gathered by Equifax and similar companies, and a data breach could be disastrous for many families. The invasion of privacy that results from a crisis of this nature is enough to drive people into a depression and to instill fear in them, as they may be victims of identity theft. Equifax’s negligence in failing to report the breach means that many of Americans were potentially exposed for two months – although the crime was discovered in July 2017, consumers were not notified until two months later, in September 2017. This delayed response, as well as the less than stellar digital defenses the company had in place, is enough to file a class action lawsuit against Equifax. Our skilled attorneys with experience in identity theft cases at the top-rated Normandie Law Firm are willing to take on your case, whether on an individual basis or by including you in an Equifax class action lawsuit. Our clients have come to us with questions about the data breach, asking what to do to move forward and what steps to take to make sure any information stolen from them does not lead to negative results. Some examples of these questions include:
- Equifax was hacked and my information was stolen. What can I do?
- I need an accomplished attorney with expertise in class action lawsuits to file a claim against Equifax. Who can I call?
- What do I do in the event of identity theft?
Equifax Information
Equifax is a credit reporting agency based in the United States. It is one of the largest credit reporting agencies in the country, containing information on nearly 1 billion individuals and nearly 100 million businesses. This information includes such sensitive details as numerous credit card numbers, full names, Social Security numbers, addresses, birth dates, credit history, and driver’s license numbers. They use this data to provide reports on income, bad credit, renting history, and more to numerous agencies that request it. Consumers can ask to see their own credit reports, of course, but so can potential employers, prospective landlords, and car dealerships.
The reason Equifax’s security measures were breached was due to the company not installing a security fix for a flaw in a web application tool. Hackers were able to exploit the bug and circumvent Equifax’s digital defenses. This can be listed as a negligent action by Equifax, leading to a much easier time for hackers to extract the information, compromising millions of pieces of data. This is more than enough reason to sue Equifax for not giving you (and many others) the duty of care you were owed.
If you need a qualified attorney with expertise in identity theft injury lawsuits to sue Equifax, contact our top Los Angeles law firm today.
What Happens Next?
If you learn that you have been the victim of identity theft, you can take certain measures to ensure that you are as well protected as you can be. You may not be able to retrieve your information from the hands of criminals and thieves, but you can work to make sure they have a difficult time using that information to their benefits.
- Alert Necessary Authorities: You should make sure that the proper authorities are aware of your predicament and can help in any way they can. You may need to contact your local police station so they can include you on the names of people who have been targeted. Credit reporting agencies should also be alerted, as they can double check any suspicious activity that may affect your credit score. Your bank, creditors, telephone company, utility company, landlord, and employer can also be made aware of the situation so that if any situations rise up, they will know you are not at fault, committing these actions, or defaulting on debts.
- Take Action Yourself: Many aspects of your life can be affected by a stolen identity. You are advised to do your part in making sure your information is kept private. This includes replacing your driver’s license ahead of time before its expiration date, changing all of your account passwords and recovery questions, putting a freeze on your credit accounts, and contacting the Social Security fraud hotline. It is better to alter as much information as you can to make it difficult for thieves to benefit from having your details rather than trying to wait for something disastrous to happen.
- Seek Legal Action: This is one of the most important routes to take. You should hunt for a qualified Equifax data breach lawsuit attorney to include you in an Equifax data breach lawsuit. A class action lawsuit is likely a good option, as there will be many other consumers who have been affected the same way as you. The more individuals present on a claim, the higher chance there is for Equifax to acquiesce and pay out restitution.
If you are a victim of identity theft, you may suffer various consequences, such as unknown tax bills and credit card bills, impact on Social Security credits, increased insurance rates, an unknown criminal record, and more. Your family, children, acquaintances, and more can be affected. Don’t hesitate to contact an expert lawyer experienced in identity theft cases.
Why a Class Action Lawsuit?
As stated above, the more individuals included in a class action lawsuit, the higher chance there is for Equifax to pay compensation. It is hard for a company to ignore thousands of affected consumers, and a court would feel the same. There are some facts to be considered when debating whether to join a class action lawsuit or to file an individual claim.
Chief among them is the concept of pay, in both earning potential and spending potential. On the one hand, many consumers are collectively sharing legal fees in hiring an accomplished Equifax data breach attorney; this allows individuals who are less monetarily well off to receive legal representation. On the other, the amount of compensation you can receive from a settlement or verdict is likely to be much lower, as the money must be spread out across numerous parties.
An Equifax data breach class action lawsuit attorney with experience handling identity theft claims will be able to give you more information.
Potential Compensation
At Normandie Law Firm, our Equifax data breach lawyers guarantee to put in their best efforts to bring you the fairest compensation you deserve from the negligent care shown by Equifax. We promise to aggressively fight on behalf of your rights as a consumer and a person, and we will make sure Equifax is held responsible for its careless actions and lack of security measures.
There is the possibility that a case of identity theft will take up a lot of your time. You may be busy reclaiming your life, sorting out problems with credit card companies, and updating all of your necessary financial information. This can eat into other areas of your life, and you should be reimbursed for missed finances. We can help you earn back lost wages from the past and potential lost wages in the future. Additionally, if the stress of identity theft caused you to undergo severe emotional damage, we can help you collect damages for pain and suffering. Your PTSD, anxiety, fear, and psychological troubles should not be swept under the rug because they do not have a dollar amount readily available to them.
Normandie Law Firm’s experienced lawyers promise to represent you in a court of law and to bring you a fair settlement.
Choosing Our Firm
As a victim of identity theft stemming from the Equifax data breach, you will require an experienced attorney to give you legal representation. The law is a complex system, and only attorneys experienced in handling Equifax data breach cases will be able to win settlements. Contact our top firm today to receive a free consultation on your case. We service many cities across the United States, but we also offer services to clients residing in Texas cities, such as Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and more. An attorney in Los Angeles will gladly give you any information you need on identity theft and what the best way to proceed is.
FREE LEGAL CONSULTATION: Further, our law firm offers you a zero fee guarantee with your claim. We do not take any payment for our services unless we win your case; in that event, our fees come from the settlement itself. If we lose, you owe us nothing. We do this to ensure that our clients are never met with any additional financial responsibilities.
To speak to an attorney who has experience in class action lawsuits, contact Normandie Law Firm today.
