Capital One Data Breach Lawsuits
Last Updated on May 2, 2022
Investigation Complete
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have finished their investigation into this matter.
Check back for any potential updates and take a look at our open investigations here. The information on this page is for reference only.
Case Update
- May 2, 2022 – Settlement Site Is Live, File a Claim Today
- The settlement website for the Capital One data breach is now live and can be found here. On the site, you can file a claim for your piece of the deal, find answers to frequently asked questions and contact the settlement administrator.
The deadline for filing a claim is August 22, 2022. - February 3, 2022 – Settlement Reached, Awaits Approval from a Judge
- A proposed settlement has been reached in the litigation against Capital One over the 2019 data breach. For more information on the deal, which still needs approval from a judge, head over to our blog.
- April 8, 2020 – Investigation Closed, Lawsuits Continue
- At this point, attorneys working with ClassAction.org no longer need to hear from people affected by the Capital One data breach. You can follow the litigation by checking back to this page or signing up for our newsletter to have the latest news sent right to your inbox. The information below was posted when the investigation began and exists for reference only. Please see this page for our open list of investigations.
- February 13, 2020 – Cases Consolidated
- Dozens of federally filed proposed class action lawsuits involving the data breach at Capital One have been consolidated and transferred to the Eastern District of Virginia. To learn more about what this means, read our page on multidistrict litigation.
- July 30, 2019 – First Lawsuit Filed
- First lawsuit filed against Capital One. Read on for more or fill out the form on this page if you want to find out how you can take action.
At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Anyone who applied for or owns a Capital One credit card.
- What’s Going On?
- Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are looking into whether a class action can be filed against Capital One over a 2019 data breach said to have affected approximately 100 million Americans. They're investigating whether the bank properly safeguarded consumers’ data and now need to hear from people who were affected by the breach.
- What Information Was Stolen?
- Credit scores, payment history, Social Security numbers, linked bank account numbers, email addresses and credit card balances.
- How a Class Action Can Help
- A class action lawsuit could help provide money for damage caused by identity theft, the cost of credit monitoring services and credit freezes, and the time spent dealing with the fallout from the breach.
If you applied for or own a Capital One credit card, attorneys working with ClassAction.org would like to hear from you.
They’re looking to start class action lawsuits against the bank in light of reports that a 2019 data breach compromised the information of more than 100 million people in the United States.
What Information Was Stolen in the Breach?
It has been reported that the following information was compromised in the data breach:
- Contact information, including email addresses
- Credit scores
- Payment history
- Credit card balances and credit limits
Capital One has also stated that approximately 140,000 credit card holders had their Social Security numbers accessed; about 80,000 linked bank account numbers were also leaked.
How Could a Lawsuit Help?
A lawsuit could help people who were harmed by the data breach at Capital One collect money for:
- Damage caused by identity theft
- The costs of credit monitoring, credit freezes, identity protection services, etc.
- Time spent taking preventive measures to keep personal information safe following the breach
A successful case could also force Capital One to change the way it protects its data and serve as a warning for other banks.
Capital One is reportedly offering free credit monitoring and identity protection to those affected. According to privacy experts who spoke to MarketWatch, however, credit monitoring will only “look for changes on a credit report, indicating that someone is using your personal information to open new accounts in your name…it does not prevent someone from taking out a loan in your name.”
What Caused the Data Breach?
It was announced in late July 2019 that a hacker broke into a Capital One server and gained access to credit card applicants’ email addresses, credit scores and other information.
The hacker previously worked for Amazon Web Services, which was used by Capital One for cloud hosting, and is said to have gained access to the server through a misconfigured firewall. It is believed that the breach occurred in late March 2019, but was not announced until July 29th.
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are now investigating whether Capital One took proper security measures to prevent the breach and whether the company should be held responsible for the harm caused to those whose information was exposed.
Have Data Breach Lawsuits Been Successful?
Yes. In fact, the Capital One data breach was made public just days after Equifax announced that it had agreed to a $671 million settlement to resolve claims that it failed to properly safeguard consumers’ information. Target, Anthem, and Ashley Madison have also paid out millions to settle data breach claims.
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