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This TracFone Settlement Will Pay Over $53K to Some People, but You’ll Have to Apply Soon

TracFone is paying out a sizable settlement to those affected by a data breach. Time is running out to opt in if you’re eligible.

This deep into the age of smartphones, I’d bet that a lot of you out there haven’t thought about TracFone in a while. But a good number of folks still get wireless service through it, and they ought to know about the impending settlement payments coming from the company.

TracFone is currently accepting applications for a class action lawsuit settlement after it was accused of failing to prevent a major data breach several years ago. While the total amount the company is set to pay out isn’t known, the potential payout to impacted customers could be huge, depending on the damages they suffered.

Founded nearly 30 years ago, TracFone is a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO. It’s best known for offering cheaper, prepaid and no-contract mobile phone service — catering to folks who don’t need or want contract service and who prefer to pay as they go. TracFone piggybacks off the network operated by Verizon, TracFone’s parent company since 2021. In addition to services under its own name, you might also be familiar with TracFone’s offerings under a few other popular brand names: Straight Talk Wireless, Total Wireless, Simple Mobile, SafeLink Wireless, Net10 Wireless and Walmart Family Mobile. 

At the time it was acquired by Verizon, the company boasted 21 million users and a presence in 90,000 retail stores, though those numbers have dwindled since then.

For everything you need to know about the TracFone settlement, keep reading. And for more settlement news, here’s everything you need to know about AT&T’s $177 million settlement.

Why was TracFone sued?

This settlement from TracFone came in response to a class action lawsuit filed against the company after a December 2021 data breach exposed the personal data of its customers. The plaintiffs in the case argued that the company failed to provide cybersecurity measures that would’ve prevented the breach 

While TracFone has agreed to pay a settlement, it has not admitted to any wrongdoing in this case.

Who qualifies for the TracFone settlement?

The settlement is open to any customer of TracFone, or one of its above-mentioned brands, who resides in the US and can verify damages suffered as a result of the breach. In order to do that and get paid, you’ll need to provide materials proving the authenticity of your claims, such as receipts, bank statements, invoices, phone bills, credit reports, police reports or identity theft reports.

If you think you’re eligible for the TracFone settlement and can back it up with documentation, you can submit your claim on the official settlement website.

How long do I have to join the TracFone settlement?

Settlement applications are open through Aug. 7, so you have little less than a month to join the settlement.

How much can I get paid from the TracFone settlement?

That’s going to be dependent on the damages you suffered and can verify, but the upper limits are pretty generous.

For simpler out-of-pocket expenses, you can get up $3,250. These include costs like bank fees, mail costs, gasoline purchases, credit reports fees and insurance taken out between Nov. 15, 2021, and Aug. 7, 2025. You can also claim up to 15 hours of lost time due to the fallout of the data breach, at $30 an hour.

For «extraordinary» expenses resulting from the breach, you can claim up to $50,000 in damages. This can include things like verifiable losses caused by identity theft or loss of business opportunities. TracFone will also provide class members with identity theft insurance worth up to $1 million.

When will I get paid from the TracFone settlement?

That’s still up in the air, but you can expect it to be sometime in the fall at the earliest. In order for payments to go out, the final approval hearing, set for Sept. 16, still needs to be held. A clearer picture of the payment schedule should be available by then.

For more settlement news, find out if you’re eligible for GameStop’s Facebook privacy settlement payments.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, July 13

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 13.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword is a little meta. Two clues refer to Wordle, another super-popular game from The New York Times. We have answers for that puzzle, too. In fact, iff you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Gibbon or gorilla
Answer: APE

4A clue: Bird whose name is an excellent starting guess in Wordle, according to WordleBot
Answer: CRANE

6A clue: Cry from a judge
Answer: ORDER

7A clue: Family nickname that would make a terrible starting guess in Wordle
Answer: MAMMA

8A clue: «Hooray!»
Answer: YAY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Widespread display
Answer: ARRAY

2D clue: Lakshmi who was a longtime host of «Top Chef»
Answer: PADMA

3D clue: «Don’t let perfect be the ___ of good» (aphorism)
Answer: ENEMY

4D clue: URL ending
Answer: COM

5D clue: Historical period
Answer: ERA

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 13, #293

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 13, No. 293

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has some fun categories. There’s only one requiring last names, and one requiring teams, so if you can sort those easily, you should be in good shape. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Bad news for a golfer.

Green group hint: Aries animal.

Blue group hint: Think California capital city.

Purple group hint: No charge.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Mess up a golf shot.

Green group: Rams

Blue group: Sacramento Kings greats.

Purple group: Free ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is mess up a golf shot.  The four answers are duff, flub, mishit and shank.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is rams. The four answers are Colorado State, Los Angeles, Rhode Island and VCU.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Sacramento Kings greats. The four answers are Divac, Richmond, Stojaković and Webber.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is free ____.  The four answers are agent, kick, safety and throw.

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Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for July 13, #1485

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for July 13, No. 1,485.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a fun word, but not easy to guess. That first letter doesn’t come up in any of the starter or secondary words I tend to choose. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with G.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends in a vowel

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a legendary creature that’s often depicted in garden statues.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is GNOME.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, July 12, No. 1484 was EXILE.

Recent Wordle answers

July 8, No. 1480: DREAD

July 9, No. 1481: NOVEL

July 10, No. 1482: JUMPY

July 11, No. 1483: BRAND

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