Who does the "Free Credit Monitoring" ?
Equifax data breach: Pick free credit monitoring-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scammers want to steal your ID with fake Equifax settlement sites -- don't let them
Fake Equifax settlement sites are starting to pop up. Don't fall for them.
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NO, its Not Free Money - "certify you are using a credit monitoring service on the date you submit your claim and will keep it for six months." (see excerpt)
Equifax settlement: How to pick the free credit monitoring or $125 cash(excerpt)
you can submit a claim to receive 10 years of free credit monitoring or -- if you're already using a service that provides
credit monitoring when you apply -- you can instead file for a $125 payment. Here's what to consider when choosing.
Option 1: Take the money after signing up for six months of monitoring, and keep whatever is left over after six months. To request the $125, you need to certify you are using a credit monitoring service on the date you submit your claim and will keep it for six months.
Credit-reporting services can cost $10 to $30 a month -- or you could use a free service like the one from
Credit Karma -- but if you choose one of the lower-priced services, you can walk away with $60 or so. Note: The FTC said this week that you may get
much less than $125 because of the enormous response to the settlement.
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(excerpt OP link)
You do have another option, though. You could also choose 10 years of free credit monitoring. And that is the choice the FTC is pushing.
"Frankly, the free credit monitoring is worth a lot more -- the market value would be hundreds of dollars a year,"
the FTC said on its website. "And this monitoring service is probably stronger and more helpful than any you may have already."