Millions of AT&T customers may be eligible for compensation of up to $7,500 each after the telecom giant was affected by a pair of severe data breaches in 2024.
On March 30 last year, the details of as many as 73 million current and former account holders were leaked in a hacking incident.
Their private information, including birth dates and Social Security numbers, but not the content of their messages, was stolen and shared in a dataset on the dark web.
Then, in a second strike, on July 12, hackers managed to download massive amounts of AT&T data from a third-party cloud platform.
Lawsuits ensued across the country in both state and federal courts.
On August 4, Kroll Settlement Administration announced that AT&T 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, resulting in a total payout of $177 million.
According to a settlement website established by the administrators, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas is scheduled to hold a final approval hearing on January 15, 2026.
Meanwhile, any AT&T customers have until December 18 to file a claim and until November 17 to opt out.
How do I submit a claim?
Those who had their data compromised in the first hack are eligible for up to $5,000, according to the administrator’s website, while people hit by the second breach are eligible for up to $2,500.
Anyone unlucky enough to be caught up in both hacks becomes what the administrator refers to as an “overlap settlement class member” and may receive a total of $7,500.
With the deadline to claim extended by a month from its original date of November 18, customers now have more time to file, which they can do using the Class Member ID printed on their settlement notice via the login screen here.
To receive the payment, customers must provide documentation showing that the losses they incurred are “fairly traceable” to the AT&T data breaches.
If successful, they are likely to receive their compensation in the new year.
“Please be patient,” the claim site advises, urging anyone unsure of their eligibility to call the following number with inquiries: (833) 890-4930.
