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Category: Credit

  • $725M Facebook Privacy Class Action Payout (without proof needed)

    $725M Facebook Privacy Class Action Payout (without proof needed)

    Meta Platforms Inc., which was formerly known as Facebook, has agreed to pay a $725 million class action settlement. This is because it was alleged that Facebook shared or allowed others to access user data and data about users’ friends without their permission. Facebook did not properly monitor or enforce third-party access or use of that data.

    If the settlement is approved by the court, Meta Platforms Inc. will set up a fund of $725 million. This fund will be used to pay all valid claims made by members of the settlement class. The settlement class includes people who were affected by Facebook’s actions during a specific time period.

    How much each person will receive depends on how many people submit valid claims and how long they were users on Facebook during the class period. The settlement fund will also cover expenses related to notifying people about the settlement and administering the settlement process. Additionally, the fund will pay any attorneys’ fees and costs, as well as any service awards for the settlement class representatives.

    Meta Platforms is a technology company that owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other platforms.

    Who’s Eligible
    All Facebook users in the United States between May 24, 2007, and Dec. 22, 2022, subject to the exclusions described above.

    Potential Award
    Varies. Make sure to state which payment you will take whether it be Paypal or Venmo. If you do not have them you can sign up for Paypal or Venmo or just get a Mastercard mailed out to you for the settlement amount.

    Proof of Purchase
    None.

    Claim Form

    Head over to FacebookUserPrivacySettlement.com to file a claim.

    Claim Form Deadline
    08/25/2023

    Case Name
    In re: Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, Case No. 3:18-md-02843-VC, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California

    Final Hearing
    09/07/2023

    Didn’t I file for a Previous Facebook Settlement?

    This is not the first settlement for Facebook/Meta Platforms Inc. regarding user data privacy issues. In fact, there have been several other settlements in the past related to similar issues.

    For example, in July 2019, Facebook agreed to pay a $5 billion settlement to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations of privacy violations related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. In addition, Facebook settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for $100 million over allegations that it misled investors about the risks of misusing user data.

    In April 2020, Facebook agreed to pay $52 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of collecting and storing users’ facial recognition data without their consent.

    So, it’s important to note that this is not the first settlement for Facebook/Meta Platforms Inc. related to user data privacy issues, and it’s possible that there may be more in the future.

    The settlement class includes all Facebook users in the United States between May 24, 2007, and Dec. 22, 2022, inclusive (the “class period”). The settlement class does not include: (i) all persons who are directors, officers, legal representatives, alleged co-conspirators and agents of defendant or its wholly or partly owned subsidiaries or affiliated companies or employees of defendant or its subsidiaries and affiliated companies; (ii) counsel for any plaintiff whose case was consolidated into this MDL and their employees, including but not limited to class counsel for plaintiffs and their employees; (iii) the special master, discovery mediators and settlement mediator who participated in this case and their staff; and the judges and court staff, as well as any appellate court to which this matter is ever assigned; and (iv) eligible persons who elect to opt out of the settlement class.

    Claims Administrator
    Facebook Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation
    c/o Settlement Administrator
    1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210
    Philadelphia, PA 19103
    info@FacebookUserPrivacySettlement.com
    855-556-2233

    The court has scheduled a final approval hearing for Sept. 7, 2023.

    Class members who wish to exclude themselves from or object to the Facebook class action settlement must do so no later than July 26, 2023.

    The deadline to submit a claim form is Aug. 25, 2023.

  • Tiicker Stock Perks: Link Brokerage Account & Earn $71 in Gift Cards

    Tiicker Stock Perks: Link Brokerage Account & Earn $71 in Gift Cards

    TiiCKER is a new app that helps promote certain brands and companies by encouraging people to become shareholders and investors. You would have to be the age of Warren Buffett to remember back when Wrigley used to give out free packs of gum to shareholders, Dial used to give out soap coupons, Colgate-Palmolive gave out discounts on toothpaste, and Coca-Cola would give out free drinks. While this may be somewhat popular in Japan, from baseball tickets to bags of rice, it is finally back again in the United States.

    • Link a brokerage with $100 worth of ANY stocks held inside, get $11 Amazon gift card or Visa virtual prepaid debit card.
    • Link a brokerage with $50 worth of Amazon (AMZN) stock held inside (partial shares allowed), get $10 Amazon gift card or Visa virtual prepaid debit card.
    • Link a brokerage with $50 worth of Real Good Foods (RGF) held inside, get $50 Instacart gift card. Limited quantities.
    • Go here for the free Tiicker stock perks

    In order to prove your ownership, you must link your existing brokerage account via the Plaid service. Plaid says it does not save nor share your username and passwords with anyone, and with many brokerages, you now log in directly on your brokerage website for authentication.

    You can now earn perks with owning stocks in a brokerage account such as Ameritrade.

    I can report that I was able to sign-up, link my account via Plaid, and grab the first two bonuses in under 5 minutes. Since this is not a brokerage account, no SSN was required. Gift card redemption was instant and easy. Now, 10 shares of RGF costs about $60 and the perk is a $50 Instacart gift card, so you could technically buy the shares for a while just to get the perk.

    You may need to refresh or unlink/relink your brokerage account after buying the shares for it to recognize a new purchase, or possibly wait up to 24 hours. In addition, I have noticed this “RealGood” brand at Whole Foods and Costco and may try it now. Regardless you can just link an existing brokerage account that has AMZN shares for the $11 signup and the $10 in Amazon card perk so that is $21 with simply linking for many of us that do not want to mess with anything else.

    I was highly skeptical at first but knowing it is using Plaid to link the brokerage account with Tiicker I got my gift cards an disconnected after just until it comes out with new perks. I am excited to see what all perks they come up with. It was the easiest AMZN and VISA gift card freebie possibly ever!

    We love freebies!

  • Millions May Get Big Credit Score Boost This Summer

    The summer of 2017 may not only bring higher temperatures but you may also see a higher credit score. Consumers struggling with low credit scores may get a break soon without changing their spending habits. According to the Consumer Data Industry Association, the primary credit-reporting agencies will wipe tax liens and some civil debts from their reports.

    The modifications, which are reported to take effect in July 2017, may improve credit scores for millions across the country by excluding that negative information. A report by The Wall Street Journal outlines the plan. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion will implement the changes if that data don’t include a complete list of a person’s name, address, as well as a social security number or date of birth.

    Many liens and most judgments don’t include all three or four. This change will apply to new tax lien and civil-judgment data that are added to credit reports as well as existing data on the reports. Roughly 12 million U.S. consumers, or about 6% of the total U.S. population that has credit scores, will see increases in their FICO score as a result of this change.

  • How the Open Sky Card can build credit

    Having poor credit can impact people everywhere they go. This can make it difficult to get financing on a car, buy a home or even get a job. Even for those who haven’t had credit before, they may find that they have a hard time building up credit. One of the best ways to quickly build up credit is to use a secured credit card. With Open Sky, users don’t even have to get a credit check in order to get the card.

    This card works by having people put down their own money onto the card, and then use the card and pay it back. It is secured in that people are using their own money, but it gives them the chance to prove to creditors that they will pay back money loaned to them. People can put down the deposit that they want to, so they have complete control over their finances. As users start making payments and using the card, the credit bureaus will get updates every month. The sooner this happens, the sooner a person will begin to build credit.

    Those who want to apply just need to go online and fill out a quick application. Then, they need to accept the terms and conditions. Getting this card is easy, and people don’t have to worry about rates, as the rates here are very competitive. Then, they can use the card as they please and make payments toward it. This allows them to prove to lenders that they will use credit responsibly and make their payments on time.

    For those who want more information on how to improve their credit, there is also plenty of information on their website that has tips to make it better. Those who may be considering other secured credit cards might take a look at the Horizon Card. This is a similar card, but it does not have all of the same features. It has people put down 500 dollars as a deposit, and the Sky Card allows people to put down many different amounts. Also, Horizon does not have the same wealth of financial information on their website.

    Also, those who choose Sky Card will be able to ask for approval to increase the limit on their card. With Horizon Card, this is generally not an option. Having a higher credit limit can also help people to improve their credit, so there is definitely an advantage to choosing this card. Choose a small or large amount of money to use as a deposit, and start making payments on the card as it is used. Then, lenders will be able to see that the user is good about using credit and paying back their debt. This will help to improve credit, and allow people to have more credit options in the future.

  • No Fee Secured Credit Cards: A Lifeline for a Drowning Society

    Secured credit cards, also known as prepaid credit cards, can be used to rebuild poor credit histories because creditors report the consumers’ credit histories to the reporting agencies. The unique advantage of secured credit cards is that users do not create debt when they use these cards because they’re using the money that they’ve deposited on the card in advance of any purchases. Most of these cards can be used anywhere Visa and MasterCard are accepted and there are many secured cards that guarantee approval with no credit check.

    Since debt is strangling the life out of most people these days, secured credit cards could prove to be the lifeline needed to help people rise above their financial troubles. There’s a double guarantee against incurring debt because not only are users spending money that they’ve already deposited on the card, but once that money is spent, the card will be useless to them until more money is deposited. This inspires users to exercise control over their spending habits forcing them to think before they act. The only requirements for obtaining a secured credit card is the applicant must be of legal age and they have to be able to load money onto the card. This means that practically every responsible consumer is eligible to receive a secured credit card regardless of their credit history or score.

    However, many secured cards have a start-up fee and sometimes these fees can be substantial. While it’s possible to acquire cards with no annual or setup fees, there are still other fees involved like late payment, over the limit, and additional card fees. Some cards have no annual or interest fees but monthly fees are charged if the purchases made are under the required limits. In other words, there are variations on fees that are and are not charged so applicants will have to read the fine print to familiarize themselves with all the terms and conditions of each card.

    The following are examples of secured credit cards that require no credit checks, along with a brief listing of their differing terms and conditions.

    1) Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Credit Card: One of the favorite choices because there’s no annual fee, no setup fee, and the interest rate is a low fixed 9.99% APR which is considerably lower than most current card interest rates. Deposits made can be from $200 – $5,000. There are no interest penalties on late payments and this card is especially designed for people with low or poor credit histories.

    2) Green Dot® Prepaid Master Card® and Green Dot® Gold Prepaid Visa® Card: No transaction fees on U.S. purchases, no overdraft or penalty fees, no interest fees, and no minimum balance required. However, there’s a monthly fee for any month when less than 30 purchases are made, and there are fees for replacing lost or stolen cards, and for additional cards.

    3) Vision Premiere® Visa® Prepaid Card: No overdraft , annual or interest fees but there are activation, monthly, replacement card, and ATM balance and withdrawal fees.

    4) Capital One® Reloadable Prepaid MasterCard®: No activation, interest or overdraft fees, and there are no monthly fees as long as $500 per transaction cycle is loaded.

    5) Walmart Money Card? Visa® Prepaid Card and Walmart Money Card? MasterCard® Prepaid Card: No overdraft or interest fees, and fees for monthly maintenance, reload, additional card, and ATM cash transactions are minimal.

    6) REACH Visa® Prepaid Card: There are activation, monthly and ATM fees but there are no overdraft, interest or any other hidden fees.

    When considering today’s economy and the status of many people’s credit histories, it’s understandable why creditors are unable to issue cards that are completely free of charges and fees. However, creditors are attempting to extend their services to as many people as possible by being as lenient as they can be with their terms and conditions. It’s therefore up to consumers to review all relevant information carefully to make an informed decision when choosing the card that’s most suitable for their lifestyle.