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Are you one of the 98 million people eligible for the Capital One settlement? In 2019, Capital One was the victim of a hacker who took sensitive information from millions of customers.
The thieves got their hands on Social Security numbers, bank account information, addresses, and more.
Capital One got sued for the data breach, and the credit card company has settled the class action lawsuit for $190 million. Do they owe you money? We have everything you need to know about the Capital One settlement.
Why was Capital One in a class-action settlement?
On July 19, 2019, Capital One discovered that hackers accessed personal information and data from Capital One credit card customers and those who applied for Capital One credit cards.
The FBI caught those responsible, but not before they got 140,000 Social Security numbers and 80,000 bank account numbers from the data breach.
Customers sued Capital One, arguing that the company didn’t protect their information.
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How much was the Capital One settlement for?
- Jonathan Weiss | Dreamstime
Capital One ended the lawsuit by settling for $190 million in December 2021 (without admitting any wrongdoing).
The final approval for the hearing was originally set for Aug. 19, 2022, but it was recently rescheduled for Sept. 8, 2022. Although that’s the last step before people can get paid, it’s essentially a done deal at this point.
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How do I know if I qualify for the Capital One settlement?
Capital One said the data breach affected 98 million people — and they’re all eligible for settlement money.
First, do you have a Capital One credit card? You should have gotten an email from Capital One if you were among those affected. But if you didn’t, and you can prove your information was compromised in the breach, you can still make a claim. Make sure you don’t lie, though — it’s illegal.
If you don’t qualify, there’s plenty more free stuff on the internet you can get.
How much will I get paid?
Anyone eligible for the settlement can get up to $25,000 in cash reimbursement for lost time and out-of-pocket expenses related to the data breach. You can claim any unreimbursed fraud charges or false transactions, as well as money you spent trying to prevent identity theft.
You can also get paid for your time — at least $25 an hour for up to 15 total hours for any time you spent addressing issues related to the breach.
Class members also get three years of free comprehensive Identity Defense services from Pango Group (valued at $324 – $1,080).
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How do I claim money from the Capital One settlement?
To file an online claim:
- Go to the Capital One claim website.
- Enter the Unique ID or PIN you got in the notice that came via the mail or email.
- If you didn’t get a Unique ID or PIN, call 1-855-604-1811 to ask for one.
- You’ll need to answer questions about how you were affected, what you lost, and a description of activities related to the data breach.
To claim the settlement, you need to provide some or all of the following documentation:
- Receipts documenting losses or expenses related to the breach
- Voided checks for account validation
- Documentation of hourly wages
- Detailed descriptions of how you were affected by the breach
The claim deadline is Sept. 30, 2022.
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How will I get paid by Capital One — and when?
If the settlement gets final approval on Sept. 8, 2022 — and you’ve submitted your claim by the Sept. 30 deadline — you’ll get a message sent to the email Capital One has on file, prompting you to choose your preferred payout method.
You can get paid via a digital debit card, a paper check, or PayPal (which will go well with the PayPal cashback program). Payments won’t start going out until after the final approval on Sept. 8, so you can expect to get it before January.
TIP: You might be owed more money from other companies, so look through our class action settlements page.
Capital One could owe you more money in the future — they’re in the midst of another class-action lawsuit.
Vladyslav Yushynov | Dreamstime
It looks like more money from Capital One could be on the way. They’re involved in another class action lawsuit that was filed May 2, 2022, this time involving Zelle — an online payments company promoted by Capital One.
The class-action started with one customer, who said that when he sent $2,000 through the Capital One app via Zelle to a scammer, Capital One did not stop the payment or reimburse him. Now, he’s suing Capital One and gathering other customers, seeking compensation in the wake of “huge, undisclosed security risks” of their use of Zelle. Bookmark this page to see what happens next.
