AT&T's $177 Million Data Breach Payout Is Moving Forward. A Check Could Arrive Soon

If you submitted a claim, a payment of up to $7,500 could arrive within the next few months.

More than 110 million AT&T customers had personal information stolen in two major data breaches in 2019 and 2024. The cyber incidents exposed sensitive records and led consumers to pursue compensation through a class-action lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleged that AT&T did not do enough to protect customer data or notify affected users quickly after the breaches. The company denied wrongdoing but agreed to pay $177 million to settle the claims.

Although the claim deadline has passed, settlement payments can take months to process. The money must be allocated to cover legal and administrative expenses, and eligible class members must also be notified.

More than 4.9 million eligible customers filed claims, and you may be among them.

AT&T may still appeal the court's decision. If no appeal is filed, the court would then have 10 days to grant final approval. Payments would follow within 60 days of that approval, which could mean claimants receive money in the months ahead.

How much money could the AT&T settlement pay?

If you filed a valid claim and provided proof of financial losses, you could receive as much as $7,500, depending on which settlement class applies to you.

For the 2019 breach, people in the AT&T 1 Data Incident settlement class whose Social Security numbers were stolen and who can show financial harm may receive up to $5,000. For the 2024 breach, people in the AT&T 2 Data Incident settlement class who can show related financial losses may receive up to $2,500. Customers who can document losses tied to both breaches may be eligible for up to $7,500.

However, most eligible claimants — more than 3.7 million people — did not submit documentation of losses with their claim forms. Their payouts will be far smaller under a tiered distribution system, with estimated payments ranging from $6.50 to $40. These claims will be paid on a pro rata basis, meaning the remaining money will be divided among claimants.

All payment amounts are estimates and are not guaranteed.

If you filed a claim and want updates, you can contact the settlement administrator through telecomdatasettlement.com or by calling 833-890-4930.

What happened in the 2019 and 2024 breaches?

AT&T was hit by two major breaches in 2019 and 2024, and after the second incident, customer data appeared on the dark web. The company did not publicly confirm the hack for several weeks after the leaked material began circulating online.

The 2019 breach affected 65.4 million former customers and 7.6 million active account holders, exposing highly sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, birth dates and full legal names. The leak was significant enough that AT&T reset the passwords of every affected customer.

The 2024 incident was wider in scope, affecting nearly 109 million wireless customers, but the data exposed was less sensitive. Hackers accessed call and text records, timestamps and cell tower location data that AT&T had stored from 2022.

Because nearly all 73 million people from the first breach were also included in the broader 110 million-person pool tied to the second breach, the total number of affected customers is capped at around 110 million.

Hackers from the UNC5537 group claimed responsibility for the 2024 breach as part of a wider campaign targeting Snowflake databases at more than 160 companies. UNC5537 is closely affiliated with ShinyHunters, a well-known hacking group that often targets companies with large amounts of customer data. Two people were arrested in connection with the case.

Although the methods used in 2024 have been thoroughly documented and patched, hackers continue to target Snowflake servers through third-party partners, as seen in the recent Rockstar server hack.