Up to $3,580 ACCC Data Breach Settlement: How to Claim

What happened

Class period: The data incident happened in January 2025. Documented out-of-pocket losses must have occurred between January 27, 2025 and September 16, 2026.

• In January 2025, American Consumer Credit Counseling, Inc. (ACCC) learned that a criminal third party had gained unauthorized access to some of its employee email accounts
• Files in those accounts may have held names, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, financial account numbers, and payment card information
• The case is Dinkel, et al. v. American Consumer Credit Counseling, Inc., Case No. 2581CV02933, in the Superior Court of Middlesex County, Massachusetts
• ACCC denies doing anything wrong, and the court has not ruled that it did. Both sides agreed to settle to avoid the cost and risk of a trial
• Anyone in the United States whose personal information may have been exposed is covered, including everyone who received a notice

What you can get

Key dates

Who may qualify

• You live in the United States
• Your personal information may have been compromised in the January 2025 ACCC data incident
• You received a notice about the data incident
• You are not ACCC, one of its officers, directors, parents, subsidiaries, or affiliates
• You are not the judge in the case, court staff, or immediate family of either
• You were not found guilty of causing or helping cause the data incident

How to file

1. Go to https://www.acccsettlement.com/form/claim and complete the online Claim Form by September 16, 2026
2. Or download a paper Claim Form from https://www.acccsettlement.com/documents/ and mail it to the Settlement Administrator, postmarked by September 16, 2026
3. Pick one cash category. Category 1 covers documented losses and lost time. Category 2 is the flat $45. You cannot claim both
4. Attach receipts, bank statements, or other records if you file under Category 1
5. Claim the three years of credit monitoring on the same form. Filing a valid claim is the only way to get any benefit, including the monitoring
6. You can also request a paper Claim Form by phone at (833) 421-7260 or by email at info@ACCCSettlement.com

Proof required

• Category 2 (the flat $45): no proof and no explanation needed
• Category 1 documented losses: bank statements, receipts, or similar records showing what you spent or lost because of the data incident
• Your own written notes can support other proof, but notes alone are not enough for a valid claim
• Category 1 lost time: a short written description of how you spent the time, up to 4 hours
• You cannot claim costs that a third party already paid you back for

Payment timing

Payments go out only after the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved. The Final Approval Hearing is set for October 8, 2026. The settlement website does not list a payment method or an expected payment date.

Important links

• Official website
• Claim form
• Important dates
• FAQs
• Documents

Contact

Extra details

• The objection deadline of August 17, 2026 has passed. You can still file a claim through September 16, 2026
• The settlement website does not list an exclusion (opt-out) option. If you stay in the class, you give up the right to sue ACCC over this data incident. Section VIII of the Settlement Agreement lists the claims you release
• You must pick one cash category. Category 1 can pay far more, but only with records. Category 2 pays $45 with no paperwork
• If you do nothing, you get no money and no credit monitoring, and you still give up your claims
• Class Counsel is Casondra Turner of Milberg PLLC. Counsel will ask the court for $225,000 in fees and costs, and $4,000 for each of the two class representatives. ACCC pays these separately
• Use only the official site. A real settlement administrator will never charge you a fee to file
• Do not contact the court or the clerk about this settlement

FAQ

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