Your Yahoo account might be collecting some digital dust but it could earn you some extra cash.
Some Canadian Yahoo customers, including Rogers Yahoo email users, are eligible to make a claim in a $20 million data breach class action suit.
The tech company used to be a dominant force in the early internet, contending with Google for search engine and email supremacy, though its name recognition and use has waned in recent years.
What is the Yahoo and Rogers class action about?
The class action stems from a series of data breaches between 2013 and 2016, with plaintiffs alleging that Yahoo did not have adequate data security measures in place. Yahoo announced two of the data breaches, which happened in 2013 and 2014, years later in 2016. A third breach happened in 2015 and 2016 and was later announced in 2017. Yahoo confirmed that the first two data breaches exposed the information of more than 1 billion users, cost the company $350 million and was the biggest ever hack of an email provider.
Yahoo, in settling the class action, has denied any wrongdoing.
Who can apply for the class action?
Canadian residents with a Yahoo account at any time during the period Jan. 1, 2012 through Dec. 31, 2016.
The class action also covers Rogers customers in Canada who used the telecom’s Rogers Yahoo email service during that time frame.
To apply for the class action, you’ll need to show that the data breaches led to time wasted responding to each breach and documentation of your Yahoo email address.
How much can I get?
Eligible users with a Yahoo account who apply for the class action can receive up to $375.
Yahoo users who subscribed to the company’s paid services (including ad-free, premium or small business services) can apply for an extra amount up to $25,000 to cover their costs, but must provide payment documentation.
Those users must submit: an attestation that costs were incurred due to the data breaches, documentation of your costs, documentation of your Yahoo account and related statements if you suffered from identity theft.
However, claims may be reduced if the number of claims exceeds the settlement funds.
The deadline for making a claim is Dec. 27 and claim forms can be completed online on the settlement website.
