Get Ready To Be Wicked Disappointed In That Equifax Payout

Two years ago, credit report giants Equifax, had a pretty substantial data breach, exposing 150 million people's personal information. And they got a pretty stiff fine for it as well, to the tune of $700 million. And just last week, we told you about a way you could either get some free credit reporting, or possibly receive a cash settlement.

About the same time, I started seeing friends on social media, talking about how they were applying for the cash payout, and that you could get $125. Well, here's the thing. the math just don't add up. We told you that there some 500,000 Mainers affected by the breach, and also, that Maine would receive $1 million of the overall settlement.

That's $2 per person... A far cry from the $125 that a lot of people think they have coming to them. The Federal Trade Commission actually released a statement saying most folks would get "nowhere near $125" and that most folks would be quite "disappointed" with the payout, says NewsCenterMaine.

Of the whole $700 million that Equifax settled with the government for, only $31 million is slated for cash outs, according to the FTC. Even if all $31 million came to Maine, it would still only be $62 per person. You do have the option to choose to receive free credit monitoring instead. The cash value of that would likely far exceed anything you'd get for money.

Personally, I see it like this... If your info was exposed, get your 2 bucks!!! Don't let them just keep your money. Granted, the cost of the stamp will eat into your settlement money, but if your intent is to stick it to Equifax, then take your money and run!

Even if it's only to the convenience store for half a gallon of gas.