AT&T pays $177 million on data breach payments
AT&T is set to pay a $177 million class action settlement after two data breaches in which sensitive customer data was released on Dark Web.
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AT&T customers are eligible to receive thousands of dollars from telecommunications companies as part of a $177 million class action settlement.
The settlement stemmed from a lawsuit alleging that AT&T failed to protect vulnerable data from its customers, leading to two separate data breaches last year.
In the first incident that occurred on March 30, 2024, AT&T announced that customer information such as address, social security number and passcode had been released on the dark web.
On July 12, 2024, AT&T announced the second incident in which a customer’s phone and text record was illegally downloaded.
According to a news release from the Kroll Settlement Administration, AT&T does not dispute the data breach but refuses to mistreat data and fraud. USA Today reached out to AT&T for comment.
Here’s what you need to know about settlements:
Who is eligible to file a claim in an AT&T data breach settlement?
There are two payment classes, or groups of eligible customers, where you can submit a claim.
The first class of eligible claimants includes AT&T customers affected on March 30, 2024. The second class includes those included in the incident announced on July 12, 2024. Some customers may be included in both classes of eligible members.
According to a lawsuit from AT&T and a 2024 statement, the violation is believed to have affected more than 7 million people who had AT&T accounts in 2024 and over 65 million people who had AT&T accounts between 2019 and 2024.
Customers who are unsure whether they are included in the settlement can call 833-890-4930 with questions.
How much money can the claimant earn?
Eligible claimants can receive up to thousands of dollars depending on which settlement class is participating.
Customers affected by the initial data incident can charge up to $5,000 through a documented loss cash payment option. This means you need to present a document of loss.
Alternatively, members of the First Settlement class can choose to pay in Tier 1 or Tier 2.
Those who had a Social Security number in the March 30 data breach can file a Tier 1 request. Customers who had data not included in the violation can submit a Tier 2. Tier 1 payments are five times more than Tier 2.
For customers affected by a second data breach, there is also a documented loss cash payment option of up to $2,500. You can also choose a Tier 3 cash payment option. This is the percentage of the administrative fees and settlement after the claim is issued.
Customers affected by both data breaches could receive up to $7,500, according to the payment website.
How to submit a request with AT&T payment
AT&T customers eligible for a settlement can file their claim online at www.telecomdatasettlement.com.
Claims can also be emailed to AT&T Data Incident Payments, C/O Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, PO Box 5324, New York, NY 10150-5324.
When is the deadline to file a request?
The deadline for filing a request is November 18, 2025. The online form must be submitted by that day. Any bills sent by mail must be consumed by then.
Melina Kahn is a national trending reporter for USA Today. She can be contacted at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
Contribution: Taylor Ardrey, USA Today
