An anonymous hacker claimed to have swiped customer names, vehicle info, and loan payment details from the automaker
- Nissan is reimbursing some of its customers up to $2,500 each through a class-action suit, due to a 2017 data breach
- An anonymous hacker claimed to have accessed customer files, including vehicle and loan information
- The suit was settled rather than taken to court, and so the allegations weren’t ever proven
The parties decided to settle the lawsuit with a $1.82-million payout rather than fight it out. Nissan has not admitted to any of the allegations, and none of the allegations have been proven in court.
The case stems from an anonymous email that Nissan received from an unknown attacker, on or around December 11, 2017. The person claimed to have “information about Nissan customers,” including their names and addresses, the vehicle information including its VIN (vehicle information number), credit scores, and their loan amounts and monthly payments. Nissan said that payment card information and other personal banking details were not included in the breach.
The class-action suit is now closed to further claims and will go ahead with the negotiated settlement. Car owners or lessees could file either a documented or undocumented claim.
Those with documented claims, who were able to prove damages as a result of the breach – including receiving a letter from Nissan telling them about it – will be eligible for reimbursement of up to $2,500. Undocumented claimants without proof of damage will receive up to $35 “for reimbursement of lost time.” At the moment, there’s no word on exactly how many people will be getting a chunk of the settlement cash, whether it’s the larger amount or the $35 lost-time payment. It also doesn’t apply to anyone who owned a Nissan vehicle at the time but did not get a loan for it through the automaker’s financing division.
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