There are millions of current and previous AT&T customers who about to receive a compensation after two major data breaches that compromised personal information. This large telecom company agreed to settle $177 million to resolve multiple class action lawsuits that were related to these breaches, according to reports from CNET and Reuters.
Who’s Affected and What Happened?
The initial data breach goes back to 2019 however; the severity wasn’t fully realized until years later. It can be noted that in total, AT&T confirmed that approximately 7.6 million current customers and over 65 million former account holders had their personal information exposed. This included sensitive details like names, birthdates, and Social Security numbers.
The second data breach was a more recent one that occurred in April 2024. Criminals hacked into AT&T’s cloud storage provider, Snowflake. From doing this they were able to obtain call and text records that belonged to approximately 109 million U.S. customers.
Even though AT&T stated that this dataset did not include individual’s names or any other identification information, it has still raised issues such as privacy concern.
How Did the Breaches Come to Light?
Although the 2019 breach happened years ago, AT&T only started investigating further in 2024 and this was after claims that customer information had been found on the dark web.
The 2024 data breach led to two individuals being arrested in connection with the hacking.
AT&T has not gone into detail regarding how the breaches happened, but the Snowflake incident indicates vulnerabilities in their third-party vendor’s cloud security, and this represents a growing concern in the digital age.
Settlement Approval and Next Steps
On the 20th of June 2025, the U.S. District Judge Ada Brown granted preliminary approval of AT&T’s proposed settlement in regard to two major lawsuits that resulted from the breaches. This allowed for those affected to receive compensation, however final approval is still pending.
Individuals must take note that the processing for submitting claims is expected to start on the 4th of August 2025. The company plans to notify all those individuals who are eligible via email or physical mail between August 4th and October 17th. A final court hearing is scheduled for December 3, 2025, and this will determine whether the settlement is officially finalized.
Should this be approved, payments will begin in early 2026
What You Could Receive
All those who are impacted by the breaches will be eligible to file for compensation.
The amount you may receive depends on your circumstances and which breach affected you:
- Up to $5,000 is payable for individuals who were affected by the 2019 breach, however they must provide reasonable proof of damages such as identity theft, financial loss, or credit monitoring expenses.
- Up to $2,500 can be claimed by those affected by the 2024 breach, again based on the ability to show proof of damages as a result of the data exposure.
It is important to note that those who cannot provide proof, there will be a smaller amount of the remaining settlement funds that will be distributed evenly to ensure some level of compensation for everyone whose data was exposed.
Deadline to Submit a Claim
If you believe that you may have been a part of this data breach, be sure to submit your claim before the deadline which is 18th November 2025. It is important not to miss this deadline as you could lose your right to a payout.
What This Means for Customers
Even though the company has made provided assurance that they will improve their security measures, these data breaches serve as a reminder of how important it is to protect sensitive information.
If you’re a current or past AT&T customer, be sure to check your email to determine whether you are eligible for compensation.