Millions of AT&T customers could receive thousands of dollars each after the telecom giant agreed to a $177 million legal settlement over two massive data breaches.
The breaches, announced in 2024, exposed the personal data of tens of millions of current and former AT&T account holders.
According to CBS News, the first breach was revealed in March 2024.
AT&T said the information, including birth dates and Social Security numbers, was found on the dark web.
“With respect to the balance of the data set, which includes personal information such as social security numbers, the source of the data is still being assessed,” the company said of the breach at the time.
That breach affected 73 million customers. The data was linked to records from 2019 or before.
The second breach was announced last July and involved hackers accessing a third-party cloud platform and downloading company records.
That data included call and text records from “nearly all” AT&T mobile customers, CBS News reported.
Multiple lawsuits followed in state and federal courts. They were consolidated into two class-action cases.
Do you use AT&T?
On Aug. 4, settlement administrators announced a proposed $177 million settlement.
Of that, $149 million will go to the first settlement class, while $28 million is set aside for the second.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas will hold a final approval hearing on the matter in December.
If approved, customers could receive up to $7,500 if they were affected by both breaches.
People impacted by the first breach may claim up to $5,000 for losses that occurred in 2019 or later.
Those in the second breach class may claim up to $2,500 for losses on or after April 14, 2024.
Customers must show documentation that losses can be linked to the breaches and file claims by Nov. 18 of this year.
Filing a claim waives the right to sue AT&T over the incidents.
LifeLock warned in June that millions of previously affected AT&T customer records were still for sale on the dark web.
“A staggering 73 million individuals, comprising 7.6 million current and 65.4 million former AT&T account holders, may find that their data is at risk,” LifeLock said.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
