​The Federal Trade Commission today announced a $425 Million settlement to compensate folks whose personal information was exposed in the Equifax breach of September 2017.  If you were impacted, you can file a claim for:• Free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services or a cash payment of $125.00• Cash payments of up to $20,000 per person for expenses you paid as part of the breach.• Help recovering from identity theft• Free credit reports per year starting in 2020

You can determine if you were subject to the breach using the Look Up Tool on the FTC website.  The website lets you determine if you were impacted, and tells you how to file a claim.  Access regarding the information is available at:

https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/refunds/equifax-data-breach-settlement

If you are in a current Chapter 7 or 13, and you are eligible for a settlement, it is critical you let your attorney know so steps can be taken to disclose the settlement to the court and to protect the settlement.  If you are in an active case and fail to disclose your settlement, you could be prosecuted for bankruptcy fraud.  In almost all cases, the small settlements can be protected without an issue if you let counsel know.