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I've always wondered why individuals don't sue companies like Equifax when their "identities are stolen" - if course they were never stolen, Equifax leaked your

by grecy 3y ago

I've always wondered why individuals don't sue companies like Equifax when their "identities are stolen" - if course they were never stolen, Equifax leaked your data that someone else used. Surely they should be held responsible for whatever happens as a result of that.

stevenpetryk 3y ago
I'm sure they do get sued. There are credit attorneys.
nickff 3y ago
I suspect that it's hard to prove where the 'identity thief' acquired the information, though the standard of proof is usually relatively low for civil cases.
gurchik 3y ago
A lot of people did take Equifax to court, and many of them settled.[1] But how does an individual demonstrate damages to a judge? Equifax leaked data on more than 150 million people. If a hypothetical business leaks data about an individual today, there is a good chance that data was already leaked by Equifax. So what additional harm did that hypothetical business inflict on that individual? The discussion we need to be having is why it's somehow the consumer's fault that their data was leaked. Someone can find your SSN and other private information in a leak, dupe a bank into giving them cash, and now it's your responsibility to resolve this situation? How about the banks figure out a better identity verification system that allowed a bad actor to open the account in the first place? 1: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/people-successfully-suing-equifax-almost-10000-app-193607932.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/people-successfully-suing-equ...
plagiarist 3y ago
I froze my credit, I have yet to suffer any meaningful financial damage. As litigious as America is, there typically has to be some sort of financial impact for a lawsuit to be viable. I don't know what to sue over that would harm them enough to make it worth my time. And I am extremely vindictive about credit bureau bullshit. I don't care if I benefit from the lawsuit, I'd do it purely out of spite if I thought they'd notice.
threads2 3y ago
Good Mitchell and Webb bit about "identity theft": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9ptA3Ya9E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9ptA3Ya9E

by grecy 3y ago

stevenpetryk 3y ago

I'm sure they do get sued. There are credit attorneys.

nickff 3y ago

I suspect that it's hard to prove where the 'identity thief' acquired the information, though the standard of proof is usually relatively low for civil cases.

gurchik 3y ago

A lot of people did take Equifax to court, and many of them settled.[1] But how does an individual demonstrate damages to a judge? Equifax leaked data on more than 150 million people. If a hypothetical business leaks data about an individual today, there is a good chance that data was already leaked by Equifax. So what additional harm did that hypothetical business inflict on that individual? The discussion we need to be having is why it's somehow the consumer's fault that their data was leaked. Someone can find your SSN and other private information in a leak, dupe a bank into giving them cash, and now it's your responsibility to resolve this situation? How about the banks figure out a better identity verification system that allowed a bad actor to open the account in the first place? 1: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/people-successfully-suing-equifax-almost-10000-app-193607932.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/people-successfully-suing-equ...

plagiarist 3y ago

I froze my credit, I have yet to suffer any meaningful financial damage. As litigious as America is, there typically has to be some sort of financial impact for a lawsuit to be viable. I don't know what to sue over that would harm them enough to make it worth my time. And I am extremely vindictive about credit bureau bullshit. I don't care if I benefit from the lawsuit, I'd do it purely out of spite if I thought they'd notice.

threads2 3y ago

Good Mitchell and Webb bit about "identity theft": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9ptA3Ya9E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9ptA3Ya9E