Tips for Equifax victims

How to get your $

Interest in Equifax jumped on Thursday after regulators announced the company will be paying up to $20,000 each to victims of its massive 2017 security breach.

Equifax, known for doling out consumer credit ratings, became the No. 1 trending topic on Google Thursday as consumers searched for how they might pocket a little bit of that dough.

Before filing a claim, here are a few tips:

Gather documents proving that you lost time and money due to identify theft after Sept. 7, 2017, which was when hackers stole Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and other sensitive information from 147 million Equifax consumers.

Documents should include police reports, letters from retailers refusing to refund you for your fraudulent charges, and account statements with unauthorized charges highlighted.

In addition to losses, you can recoup moneyyouspent fighting your identity theft. That means finding bills from lawyers or accountants.

You can also get money for your time in the form of $25 an hour for up to 20 hours spent talking on the phone with credit card companies or writing letters and e-mails explaining howyouwerethe victim of fraud.

To file a claim, go to the Web site www.EquifaxBreachSettlement.com — the product of a deal Equifax hashed out with New York Attorney General Letitia James and dozens of other state AGs as part of a $575 million settlement.

James stressed that the site is run by a third-party administrator, not Equifax, calling it “the first step in helping provide consumers with the tools to recover.”

TheFTCagreementcalls for a $300 million fund to compensate affected consumers who bought Equifax’s creditmonitoring services.