AT&T users impacted by data breaches could be entitled to up to $7,500 after a major class action settlement.
The $177 million settlement stems from two lawsuits which alleged that AT&T failed to adequately protect customer information, which was exposed in two separate data breaches in 2024.
Newsweek contacted AT&T via email on Friday outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The settlement underscores the ongoing risks of data breaches and the importance of companies protecting sensitive customer information.
What To Know
AT&T users filed two lawsuits against the telecommunications company over data breaches that exposed their personal information, which were later consolidated.
AT&T agreed to the settlement without admitting any wrongdoing in the handling of customers’ data.
In the first data breach, announced in March 2024, a group of customers’ information was released on the dark web, including names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, Social Security numbers, and other details.
The second incident, announced in July 2024, involved certain customer call and text records being illegally downloaded from an AT&T workspace hosted on a third-party cloud platform.
AT&T said in a statement after the first breach that preliminary analysis suggested it impacted roughly 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and approximately 65.4 million former account holders dating from 2019 or earlier.
According to the lawsuit, AT&T said that the second breach affected “nearly all” of its 110 million cellular customers in a time period between 2022 and 2023.
There are two settlement classes corresponding to the two separate data breaches. Some customers may be eligible in both classes.
Customers impacted by the March breach could be eligible to receive a payment of up to $5,000, while those impacted by the July breach are eligible for a payment of up to $2,500.
Payments can be claimed either by providing documentation of actual losses or, for those without documented losses, by applying for a tier payment, which is a pro rata share of the total settlement.
For customers affected by the March data breach, those whose Social Security numbers were exposed are eligible for a pro‑rata payment five times larger than customers whose were not included.
How To Claim
Customers need to submit a claims form online or by mail, which needs to be submitted or postmarked on or before December 18, 2025.
The website to submit claims is www.telecomdatasettlement.com.
Mailed claims should be sent to AT&T Data Incident Settlement, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 5324, New York, NY 10150-5324.
What People Are Saying
AT&T said in a statement to USA Today: “While we deny the allegations in these lawsuits that we were responsible for these criminal acts, we have agreed to this settlement to avoid the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation.”
What Happens Next
The payments are subject to a final approval hearing, which the court will hold on January 15, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. CT.
