You Will NOT Get $125 From Equifax Data Breach Settlement

If you were considering the $125 payout from the Equifax Data Breach, you're too late.

If you were eligible for the $125 payout and haven't applied, then you're out of luck. The FTC says because of high interest in the cash payment, consumers who choose this option will get far less than $125.

The Equifax settlement included about $300 million and potentially up to $425 million to help consumers recover from the breach. Hackers accessed personal information on the credit report servers of 147 million consumers, including driver's license information, social security numbers and birthdates.

The FTC recommends that affected consumers choose the free credit monitoring service, which is worth hundreds of dollars and comes with identity theft insurance and restoration services. For consumers who have already selected the cash option, the settlement administrator will e-mail those consumers and provide them with the opportunity to either (1) submit additional information, or (2) switch to the free credit monitoring service. Consumers can also contact the settlement administrator directly.

Bottom Line: There's not enough money for the payout promised.