Millions of AT&T customers could now be eligible for a claim of up to $7,500 each.
In March last year, a vast data breach impacted 73 million current and former account holders. Private information, including birth dates and Social Security numbers, was stolen by hackers and shared in a dataset on the dark web.
Then, in a second strike, which was revealed in July 2024, hackers managed to download massive amounts of AT&T data from a third-party cloud platform.
Call records and texts belonging to “nearly all” AT&T cellular customers were breached, the company said, reported the BBC.
Lawsuits ensued across the country in both state and federal courts.
On August 4, the company said that they had agreed to a settlement fund in federal court. For the first breach, a $149 million all-cash fund was established to settle the claims, and for the second, a $28 million all-cash payment was made.
According to the settlement website, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas is set to have a final approval hearing on December 3, later this year.
Meanwhile, any AT&T customers can file for compensation in between.
How do I submit a claim?
Those who had their data exposed, from the announcement made in March 2024, are each eligible for up to $5,000 and can make claims for "payment for losses that occurred in 2019, or later," according to the website.
People impacted in the July announcement are eligible for up to $2,500 "for losses that occurred on or after April 14, 2024," the settlement administration said.
To receive the payment, customers must provide documentation showing that the losses they incurred are "fairly traceable" to the AT&T data breaches.
If your data was leaked in both breaches, you may be eligible for up to $7,500.
You would then become what the settlement administration calls a "overlap settlement class member."
The deadline to file a claim is set for November 18, 2025.
You will receive the payment, if successfully claimed, in December at the earliest.
“Please be patient,” the settlement claim site said.
If unsure about whether you qualify, you can call (833) 890-4930 with questions, according to the Kroll Settlement Administration.
