UPDATE: Sept. 11 In a reversal, Equifax said in a statement Monday morning that the company wouldnt require credit card information from victims of the companys data breach who sign up for its free service.

We are not requesting consumers credit card information when they sign up for the free credit file monitoring and identity theft protection we are offering to all U.S. consumers, the company said in a statement on its website. Consumers who sign up for TrustedID Premier will not be automatically enrolled or charged after the conclusion of the complimentary year of TrustedID Premier.

Equifax had quietly removed information about charges and fees from its terms of use over the weekend.

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WASHINGTON The credit monitoring company that let criminals steal personal information pertaining to nearly half the U.S. population is offering free credit monitoring to those affected but theres a catch.

Victims of the Equifax security breach who sign up for the companys complimentary service will only get one free year. After that, unless they proactively cancel, they may have to pay. The terms of use say customers must have internet access and a credit or debit card to sign up.

We will not bill You until the free trial period has expired and provided that You have not yet cancelled your trial membership, say the terms, dated Sept. 6. In the event that You wish to continue Your membership beyond the trial period, do nothing and Your membership will automatically continue without interruption and We will begin billing You via the payment source You provided when you signed up for the free trial.

Robert Weissman, president of the consumer watchdog Public Citizen, said, It appears that the company thinks one of the worst data breaches in history is a marketing opportunity. Instead of trying to rip people off with new hidden charges and trick consumers to give up their rights it might be a better idea to actually remedy the harm.

A spokesperson for Equifax did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the free service.