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AMERICANS have a last chance to grab a $6,500 payment from a data breach settlement – and all you need is a phone bill.
Senior living community Vi has agreed to payout the cash the resolve claims it failed to prevent a 2023 data breach.
Claimants can score up to $6,500 each[/caption]
The cash is being payed out after sensitive information was compromised in a data breach[/caption]
People who had their personal information leaked can benefit from the money.
Vi is a luxury senior living community with different locations across the UK.
The provider has not admitted any wrongdoing – opting instead to settle out of court with financial reimbursement for those affected.
It is alleged that an unauthorised third party got access to sensitive information held by Vi, including names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers and payment card details.
Medical treatment information and health data was also compromised.
According to the lawsuit, Vi could have prevented the breach if it had reasonable cyber-security measures.
The claimants accuse Vi of being negligent in failing to do so.
Under the terms, class members can receive up to $1,500 in reimbursement for “ordinary” losses relate to the breach.
These include bank fees, communications charges, travel expenses and credit-related costs.
They can also claim for up to seven hours of lost time, valued at a rate of $25 per hour.
For claims of lost time, a written explanation must be provided to back it up.
Class members who suffered “extraordinary” losses – which include fraud and identity theft – resulting from the breach can claim up to $5,000.
All class members are also eligible for two years of free Medical Shield Complete Monitoring
This service includes $1million in medical identity theft insurance, real-time medical data monitoring services and access to fraud solution agents.
In the settlement, Vi also agreed to make cyber security improvements to protect from future data breaches.
Class members must submit a valid claim form by February 3.
The final approval hearing is on February 19.
Meanwhile, Americans living in two states could get $500 checks every month as part of a new basic income program.
The program, run by a non-profit called UpTogether, is distributing “unrestricted” money to 103 families.
It’s giving the payments to people in Michigan and Illinois, without strings attached.
Americans can claim for out-of-pocket losses and lost time+[/caption]
