I have recently received several submissions about an email detailing a class action settlement in a lawsuit against the website, classmates.com. Some of those who contacted me were concerned that the class action notice might in fact be a clever phishing scam designed to fool recipients into providing personal information. However, in this case, the class action notice email is legitimate. Details about the lawsuit are available on the Consolidated Litigation Website. A copy of the emailed settlement notice is also available on that website.
Classmates.com has now reached an agreement with plaintiffs and, if agreed by the court, will pay almost $11 million to settle the class action. The lawsuit claimed that the site sent “materially misleading and deceptive” emails to users. It was claimed that classmates.com sent emails that falsely lead recipients to believe that others were trying to contact them and that a paid membership on the site was required in order to view the supposed messages.
Thus, in this case, the class action notice email is perfectly valid and above board. However, it is certainly wise to be cautious when receiving unexpected emails that ask you to take actions such as following links and submitting information. Phishing scammers regularly use such tactics as a means of fooling victims into providing their personal and financial information.
