Court approves Ottawa’s $8.7 million settlement over CRA cyber breach
The federal government has settled a class action lawsuit for more than $8.7 million after hackers accessed sensitive information from several government sites, including the Canada Revenue Agency.
In the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, hackers were able to access 47,000 online government accounts, allowing them to apply for emergency benefits, including the Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB) or the Canadian Emergency Student Benefit (CESB).
The victims’ social insurance numbers, direct deposit banking information, tax information, dates of birth, records of employment, information regarding employment insurance, and other benefits information, were exposed to the hackers, according to court documents.
In all, the government will pay $8,760,500.90 to settle the claims , which includes compensation, taxes and legal fees.
Anyone whose personal or financial information was breached through a government account between March 1 and Dec. 31, 2020 is entitled to a piece of the settlement.
Victims whose information was used for financial fraud can receive a settlement of up to $200, while those whose information was accessed but not used for fraud can receive up to $80.
There is also a special fund for those who incurred out-of-pocket expenses related to the breach, offering up to $5,000 per person.
Eligible claimants do not need to do anything and are automatically included in the settlement.
• Email: bcousins@postmedia.com