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What is This Claim About?
The Equifax data breach compromised the personal information of 12.3 million individuals, including their names and birthdates, according to an Equifax report on the incident.
U.K. systems were not affected by the Equifax data breach; however the attack did compromise the information of some U.K. consumers.
Among the data involved in the cyberattack was a file containing 15.2 million U.K. records from between 2011 and 2016.
Who’s Eligible?
You may qualify to join the Equifax data breach claim if your personal information was compromised and you believe you’ve been the target of fraud.
How Much Compensation Will I Receive?
If the case is successful, qualified Class Members will receive compensation for Equifax’s failure to safeguard their personal data.
The amount each Class Member will receive will be determined in court.
How Do I Join?
Start a claim by contacting Data Leak Lawyers.
More law firms may be added before the case goes to court.
A U.K. law firm is accepting claimants who believe they were affected by a 2017 Equifax data breach.
The Equifax data breach compromised 12.3 million people’s personal data, including their name and birthdate, according to an Equifax report on the incident.
Equifax Data Breach Compromises Consumers
The Equifax data breach was revealed in September 2017, according to the company. While systems in the U.K. were not breached, the attack did compromise some U.K. consumers’ information.
Among the information targeted in the cyberattack was reportedly a file that contained 15.2 million U.K. records dated between 2011 and 2016.
Through an analysis, Equifax was able to place the affected consumers into risk categories:
- consumers whose email address connected with an equifax.co.uk account was accessed,
- consumers whose equifax.co.uk membership details were accessed,
- consumers whose driving licence number was accessed, and
- consumers whose phone number was accessed.
According to a BBC report, 12,000 individuals had email addresses stolen; 15,000 had their Equifax membership details, including usernames and passwords, stolen in the breach; 29,000 people’s driving license numbers were stolen; and 637,000 had phone numbers stolen.
The company announced in October 2017 it would be writing to nearly 700,000 consumers in the U.K. whose information was in the breached files.
Equifax later decided to write to another 167,431 consumers whose landline phone numbers were accessed in the Equifax data breach.
The initial letters offered affected consumers free identity protection services. A Freephone line — 0800 587 1584 — was established to help consumers.
“Once again, I would like to extend my most sincere apologies to anyone who has been concerned about or impacted by this criminal act,” Equifax’s chief European executive, Patricio Remon, told the BBC in October 2017.
According to Equifax, there has been no criminal use of the data that was stolen.
Equifax Fined After Data Breach
In September 2018, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) hit Equifax with a £500,000 fine for its failures in protecting U.K. consumers’ personal information.
The ICO, along with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), investigated the Equifax data breach and found that while it was the U.S. information systems that had been compromised, Equifax Ltd. was responsible for its U.K. customers’ information.
The ICO said Equifax’s U.K. arm didn’t take appropriate measures to ensure its parent company was adequately protecting the data.
The investigation revealed several failures on the part of Equifax.
Because Equifax’s failings occurred when they did, the ICO’s investigation was conducted under the Data Protection Action Act 1998; the fine levied was the maximum amount allowed under that law.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is stricter, did not come into effect until May 2018.
The ICO investigation determined Equifax had “contravened” five of the Data Protection Act’s eight principles.
Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said loss of personal data is not only upsetting for consumers, but also “undermines consumer trust in digital commerce.”
“This is compounded when the company is a global firm whose business relies on personal data.”
What Happens Next for Consumers?
While Equifax has offered identity protection to those it has identified as being affected by the breach, Data Leak Lawyers says consumers could also be entitled to monetary compensation.
According to Data Leak Lawyers, Equifax has acknowledged the biggest threat to affected consumers is phishing scams.
Victims in other data breaches, such as the TalkTalk data breach, have reported scam callers, as well as attempts at fraud and identity theft that have affected their credit score.
Anyone who had their personal information accessed and believes they may be a victim fraud could be entitled to make a claim.
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