The public has been granted another month to claim a portion of their dues in a recent data breach settlement against AT&T.
The first of the two large-scale breaches was spotted in March 2024, AT&T explained in a statement last year, compromising the addresses, social security numbers, and passcodes of users in a database going back to 2019. An even-larger data breach in 2024 exposed the call logs and text messages of nearly every AT&T customer that took place between approximately May 1 and Oct. 31, 2022, and on Jan. 3, 2023.
In June, courts ruled that the company would dole out $177 million to affected AT&T customers who had accounts between 2019 and 2024. Claimants were divided into two classes: account holders affected by the March 2024 breach would split $149 million, while customers’ whose communications were downloaded in the July incident would share $28 million. Direct payments — up to $5,000 for the first class or $2,500 for the second — to users who suffered direct financial losses were paid first, according to the company.
Now, everyone else whose data was exposed is splitting the pile.
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How to claim your AT&T settlement money
According to the settlement website, affected customers now have until Dec. 18 to claim their cut — impacted users should have already received a settlement notice containing a Class Member ID or will receive notice by Oct. 17. If you would like to opt out of the settlement, or want to object to your classification under the settlement, you have to physically mail the request by Nov. 17.
To be paid, you must fill out the settlement claim form. You will need your Class Member ID, as well as an email address, AT&T account number, or full name. Be prepared to fill out payment information, such as a direct deposit or check, too.
Who is eligible for the AT&T settlement?
There are different eligibility requirements for the two settlement classes in the case:
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For Class 1: eligibility extends to any living person whose personal identification information was exposed by the March incident
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For Class 2: eligibility extends to AT&T account owners or “line or end users” whose numbers or direct communications were downloaded by bad actors
How much money will I get?
Customers will be paid based on the severity of the data breach.
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For Class 1: Individuals who had their Social Security Numbers exposed (Tier 1) will receive five times more money than those who did not (Tier 2)
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For Class 2: Individuals who did not prove a documented financial loss will receive a share of remaining settlement funds (Tier 3)
Have questions? You can call the settlement hotline (833) 890-4930 to get answers.
Topics
AT&T
Cybersecurity
