High Plains states will receive their share of a multi-million dollar settlement with Equifax for a data breach that exposed the personal information of millions of Americans.
According to a press release from the Kansas Attorney General’s office, consumer reporting agency Equifax announced a data breach in Sept., 2017 that affected more than 147 million consumers.
Breached information included social security numbers, names, dates of birth, addresses and credit card numbers, and in some cases, driver’s license numbers.
A multistate investigation into the breach found that it occurred because Equifax failed to implement an adequate security program to protect consumers’ highly sensitive personal information.
Kansas, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska and 45 other states will get a share of the $600 million settlement with Equifax that also requires the company to implement and maintain a rigorous and comprehensive data security program.
The settlement also includes a consumer restitution settlement fund for the benefit of consumers whose information was exposed in the breach.