A Canada-wide class-action settlement could give you extra cash this Christmas. But apply soon — the deadline is approaching!
Earlier this year, an Ontario court approved a settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed against Yahoo Inc. and Yahoo Canada Co. for data breaches.
On December 2, lawyers involved in the case reminded Canadians that the window to submit a claim is closing soon.
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“Yahoo! and Rogers account holders in Canada have less than a month to claim up to $375 in cash compensation,” they stated, adding that $20 million in settlement benefits have been set aside to remedy the data breaches.
If you were impacted, you have until December 27 to get your share.
Am I eligible for this class action settlement?
For context, Rogers email is powered by Yahoo. If you used a Rogers email account during the defined time, you could be eligible to receive cash.
The first data breach occurred in 2013, and Yahoo issued a notice on December 14, 2016. The second breach occurred in 2014, and Yahoo issued a notice on September 22, 2016. In February 2017, Yahoo issued a notice about the third breach that occurred in 2015 and 2016.
The class-action lawsuit alleges that Yahoo failed to protect account holders’ personal information and that the data breaches were due to “inadequate data security measures in place.”
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“The defendants Yahoo Inc. and Yahoo! Canada Co. deny that they have violated any laws and deny that they have engaged in any wrongdoing,” reads a court notice.
To be eligible, you must be a Canadian resident with a Yahoo account between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016.
How much money can I get?
There are two types of claims.
Category A includes users who incurred expenses within four months of receiving any of the data breach notices and can submit a claim for cash reimbursement. You can also get paid $25 an hour for a maximum of five hours spent “mitigating the impact of the three data breaches (up to a combined total of 15 hours).”
As a result, if you were affected by all of the data breaches, you can claim a maximum of $375.
Finally, if you paid for the premium ad-free email services or Aabaco Small Business services between August 1, 2013, and December 31, 2016, you can claim 25% of the costs of those services.
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Under category B, Canadians can claim up to five hours of “wasted time and inconvenience” responding to each of the three data breaches. You’ll be eligible for a total of $375, which is $125 for each data breach.
Credit Monitoring Services for up to one year plus cash reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs up to $25,000 and up to 25% for costs of paid services such as Yahoo advertisement-free or premium email services and/or Yahoo/Aabaco Small Business services.
To submit a claim, you must provide your Yahoo email address, documentation of expenses incurred, and other documents. The deadline to submit a claim is December 27, 2024.
You can submit your claims online here or request a paper claim form to be mailed to you by phone at 1-866-808-8075.
With files from Irish Mae Silvestre