Equifax explains that even though you found out about its settlement, and found the online address where you had to apply, and even though you inputted in all the details you were asked for, and even though you selected to take the cash option, you now need to provide it with more information. [...]

You've got until October 15 to (re)confirm that you already have a credit monitoring service. If you don't, you don't get the money. And you have to provide the details of that service to Equifax. If you don't, you don't get the money.

If you do both those things before the deadline, you should still expect to get another email at some point in future asking you to provide evidence of that credit monitoring service or, you guessed it, you don't get the money.

"I understand that I may be asked to provide more information by the Settlement Administrator before my claim is complete," is one of the "options" that you are obliged to agree to.

Yep, you are really going to have to work for that $125. And the truth is that even if you do jump through all the hoops Equifax has put in the way, you are still unlikely to get the $125 promised.

What is going on? Put simply, Equifax and the FTC are embarrassed that their smoke-and-mirrors approach to settling a massive data breach has been exposed as such. [...]

Now Equifax has joined the FTC in doing its utmost to force people to take the credit monitoring service over the cash. But rather than simply ask people to do so, Equifax has decided that red tape and easily missed emails is the best to reduce the number of active applicants.

Previously, previously, previously.