AT&T customers who filed claims over two major data breaches disclosed in 2024 could receive up to $5,000 for documented losses under a $177 million class-action settlement.
A federal court granted final approval to the settlement on Oct. 2, and payments could begin in the coming weeks if the agreement becomes effective and any appeals are resolved. The settlement covers lawsuits related to two incidents that exposed personal information belonging to millions of current and former AT&T customers.
The first incident, announced on March 30, 2024, involved customer information found in a dataset published on the dark web. The second, disclosed in July of the same year, involved the unauthorized downloading of customer call and text interaction records from an AT&T workspace hosted on a third-party cloud platform.
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The March incident affected approximately 7.6 million current customers and 65.4 million former customers. The exposed information included Social Security numbers, addresses and account passcodes, although the specific data varied by individual. The July incident involved telephone records and limited location-related information for a small subset of individuals.
The $177 million settlement is divided into two categories: $149 million for the March incident and $28 million for the July incident, according to the New York Post. If no appeal delays the process, the settlement is expected to become effective around Nov. 12. Payments must be distributed within 60 days of the effective date, although the exact payment date has not been confirmed.
Customers affected by the March incident could qualify for up to $5,000 in reimbursement for documented losses linked to the breach. Eligible claimants could also qualify for a tiered cash payment, depending on the type of information exposed. Those whose highly sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, was compromised may qualify for a cash payment without demonstrating financial losses. Claimants seeking reimbursement for financial losses must provide supporting documentation.
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Customers affected by the July incident could qualify for up to $2,500 for documented losses. Those affected by both incidents could qualify under both settlement categories, provided they met the eligibility requirements and submitted valid claims.
The maximum amounts are not guaranteed payouts. Final payments will depend on the type of claim, eligible losses, the number of valid claims and deductions for administrative expenses, legal fees and other court-approved costs.
The deadline to submit a claim was Dec. 18, 2025, and new claims are no longer being accepted under the published settlement terms. More than 4.9 million claims were filed, according to court documents. Claims were reviewed for eligibility, with some rejected for reasons including late submission, duplication, suspected fraud, withdrawal or ineligibility.