AT&T reached a $177M data breach settlement. What consumers should know about claiming their money

AT&T has reached a combined $177 cardinal colony implicit 2 information breaches

NEW YORK -- AT&T has reached a combined $177 cardinal colony implicit 2 information breaches. And impacted consumers person a small implicit a period near to record a assertion for their chunk of the money.

Several lawsuits emerged crossed the U.S. — and were aboriginal consolidated — aft AT&T notified millions of customers that accusation ranging from Social Security numbers to telephone records were compromised successful these breaches past year. Plaintiffs alleged that the telecommunications elephantine “repeatedly failed” to support user data. While AT&T has continued to contradict wrongdoing, it opted to settee earlier this year.

“We person agreed to this colony to debar the disbursal and uncertainty of protracted litigation,” AT&T said successful a Thursday statement, adding that the institution remains "committed to protecting our customers’ information and ensuring their continued spot successful us.”

Eligible consumers person until Dec. 18 to record for a colony outgo — which volition inactive request a judge's last stamp of support aboriginal adjacent year. Here's what you should know.

The colony covers 2 antithetic breaches. Both were disclosed successful 2024 — but impact information belonging to millions of existent and erstwhile AT&T customers dating arsenic acold backmost arsenic 2019 oregon earlier.

AT&T disclosed the archetypal of these breaches successful March 2024, aft the institution said it recovered that lawsuit accusation from 2019 oregon earlier had been released connected the “dark web" weeks earlier. At the time, AT&T said the breach impacted astir 7.6 cardinal existent and 65.4 cardinal erstwhile relationship holders — with leaked information including immoderate delicate info similar Social Security numbers and passcodes.

The different breach progressive telephone and substance records of astir each AT&T customers from May done October of 2022, arsenic good arsenic a tiny subset from Jan. 2, 2023. AT&T said it learned that information was “illegally downloaded from our workspace connected a third-party unreality platform” successful April of past twelvemonth — and began notifying customers successful July 2024, aft launching an investigation. The institution maintained that the leaked records included accusation similar telephone numbers, but not contented of the calls oregon texts, oregon different personally identifiable information.

Several lawsuits emerged implicit some of these information breaches — which were aboriginal consolidated. The colony was reached earlier this twelvemonth successful U.S. District Court successful Texas.

The settlement's currency funds full $177 cardinal to wage those impacted by some of these breaches — which divvies up to $149 cardinal for the archetypal “settlement class” and different $28 cardinal for the second, per a preliminary support bid filed successful June.

According to the colony administrator's website, consumers impacted by the archetypal breach whitethorn beryllium eligible to up to $5,000. And those affected by the 2nd breach whitethorn beryllium eligible for up to $2,500. It's besides imaginable to beryllium an “overlap colony people member,” which would mean you whitethorn beryllium eligible for payments from some of these funds.

Final outgo amounts volition alteration depending connected losses documented from each idiosyncratic — arsenic good arsenic the full fig of claims received and added costs similar lawyer fees. And the tribunal inactive has to springiness the colony its last stamp of approval, successful a proceeding presently scheduled for Jan. 15, 2026.

In the meantime, consumers person a small implicit a period near to record a assertion online oregon by mail. The deadline is Dec. 18.

To larn more, you tin sojourn the website of the colony administrator, Kroll Settlement Administration. Class members tin besides opt-out oregon marque an objection earlier Nov. 17.

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