Get Paid! U-Haul’s $5M Settlement Means Easy $100 Payments for Affected Customers
Customers who used the national moving and storage company U-Haul in 2022 and 2023 may be eligible for a cash payout of up to $100 due to a data breach that potentially compromised their information.
Claiming Your Cash Payment
To qualify for the cash, affected customers must submit a claim form. According to the U-Haul data breach class action lawsuit, the company failed to adequately protect consumer information during two significant data breaches in 2022 and 2023, which allegedly exposed consumer names and driver’s license numbers.
While U-Haul has not admitted to any wrongdoing, the company has agreed to pay $5.085 million to resolve the lawsuit.
Details of the Settlement
Under the terms of the settlement, class members can expect a pro-rata monetary payment, with estimates suggesting that each claimant may receive around $100. However, the actual payment amount could vary depending on the total number of valid claims filed.
To qualify for the direct payment, individuals must have resided in California between November 5, 2021, and April 5, 2022, or around December 5, 2023, when the data breaches occurred. Additionally, eligible participants must have received a Notice of Recent Security Incident letter informing them of the alleged breaches.
Important Deadlines and Payment Timeline
Eligible U-Haul customers only have until October 15, 2024, to submit a valid claim form to receive their settlement benefits. A final approval hearing for the payout has been scheduled for October 23, although it remains unclear when the payments will be distributed to claimants. Officials have advised individuals involved in the settlement to “be patient” as they await their funds.
Rising Concerns Over Data Breaches
Data breaches have become increasingly common, particularly as more companies adopt cloud storage solutions. According to the Harvard Business Review, data breaches surged last year, with more than 60% of the world’s corporate data estimated to be stored in the cloud. In 2023, over 80% of data breaches involved data stored in the cloud, often due to companies mismanaging cloud configurations, such as allowing excessively permissive access, having unrestricted ports, and using unsecured backups.
