AT&T Settles for $177M Over Data Breach: Are You Eligible?

Understanding the AT&T Data Breach Settlement

Earlier this year, AT&T agreed to a $177 million settlement after two significant data breaches affected customers. If you were impacted by these incidents, there are now clear steps to file a claim and potentially receive compensation.

In March of last year, AT&T confirmed that a dataset found on the “dark web” contained personal information for about 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former account holders. This breach began in 2019, as reported by CNET. Then, in July, the company disclosed that the data of nearly all customers was downloaded to a third-party platform in a 2022 security breach.

Two lawsuits were brought against AT&T. According to court documents, a federal judge in Texas has given preliminary approval for two settlement funds: one for $149 million and another for $28 million.

While AT&T denies the allegations in these lawsuits that they were responsible for these criminal acts, the company has agreed to the settlement to avoid the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation. AT&T remains committed to protecting customer data and ensuring their continued trust.

Who Qualifies for the AT&T Settlement?

The eligibility criteria vary based on the settlement class. The first settlement class related to the March 2024 data breach includes "all living persons in the United States whose data elements" — names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, account passcodes, billing account numbers, and Social Security numbers — were in the breach.

The second settlement class includes AT&T account owners and line or end users whose data elements were involved in the 2022 breach. These data elements include telephone numbers of current and former customers, as well as the telephone numbers with which those customers interacted, counts of those interactions, aggregate call durations for a day or month, and for a small subset of individuals, one or more cell site identification numbers associated with the interactions.

If you're unsure whether you fall into either or both categories, check your email. Kroll Settlement Administration, the settlement administrator, is sending email notices to qualifying customers from the address attsettlement@e.emailksa.com. Be sure to check your junk folder.

How to File a Claim

To file a claim, you'll need to submit it online by November 18, or by mail that is postmarked by the same date. Online, you’ll be asked to input your class member ID from the emailed notice, as well as your email, AT&T account number, or your full name. Then you’ll be guided through the form.

As a current or former customer, you may be included in the settlements, but you’ll also need to prove that you suffered damages because of the breaches.

What Can You Expect to Receive?

According to court documents cited by USA Today and CNET, the highest payments for those impacted by the first breach are $5,000. For the second breach, the top payment is $2,500. Remaining funds would then be distributed to others who were impacted.

Qualifying for the larger payments will depend on the impact you experienced from the breaches. If you experienced losses in 2019 or later because of the first data breach, you’ll need to provide supporting documentation that shows "the losses are fairly traceable" to the incident to receive up to $5,000 in a "loss cash payment."

For the first breach, if your Social Security number was included in the breach, you can make a claim for a Tier 1 payment. If any of your data elements were included, but not your Social Security number, you can make a claim for a Tier 2 payment. Tier 1 cash payments will be five times the amount of Tier 2 payments.

To receive the top payment of $2,500 in the second breach, you would again have to prove that any losses you experienced on or after April 14, 2024, are "fairly traceable" to the 2022 incident. If you were an AT&T account owner at the time, you can also submit claims on behalf of other users on your plan.

Without documentation, you can apply for a Tier 3 payment. The payout will depend on the funds remaining after other costs and service awards have been paid, and the number of valid claims submitted.

Eligibility for Both Breaches

If you were impacted by both breaches, you may qualify for payments in both settlements. However, if you’re applying for the largest payouts, you’ll need documentation unique to each incident, as explained by the administrators.

When Will Payments Be Made?

The deadline to opt out or object to the settlements, according to court documents, will be October 17, 2025. The deadline to file a claim is set for November 18, 2025.

A final approval hearing in the case has been set for December 3, 2025. It will still take some time after that date for settlement payments to be disbursed, but a spokesperson for AT&T told Nexstar that payments are expected to be issued early next year.