ORLANDO, Fla. – If you’ve ever been an AT&T customer – even years ago – you may be eligible for part of a major settlement tied to two massive nationwide data breaches.
The payout could be worth thousands of dollars for some, but the deadline to file is coming up fast, and millions of people may not realize they qualify.
Who is affected?
Many former customers may not realize their data was exposed, or that they may be owed money.
This settlement applies to both current and former AT&T customers. Of note to everyone: there is no cutoff date for how long ago you had AT&T as a provider. If you were affected by either breach, you’re potentially eligible, even if your account was closed many years back.
Here’s the backstory: AT&T agreed to pay $177 million to settle claims stemming from two separate breaches of their systems. The first breach involved customer data dating back several years but wasn’t publicly confirmed until early 2024. Customer information of 7.6 million current customers and 65.4 million former customers was spotted on the dark web in March of 2024. If you were an AT&T account holder in 2024, you might remember your account password being reset - yep, this was why.
But wait, there’s more. A lot more.
In April of 2024, AT&T discovered that hackers got their hands on metadata for a six-month period in 2022 through one of its vendors, Snowflake. Snowflake is a cloud data storage platform used by major corporations, including AT&T. The breach wasn’t directly AT&T’s fault as hackers hit the Snowflake servers and took info from other major companies as well: Advance Auto Parts, LendingTree, Live Nation Entertainment, and Santander Bank. In July of 2024, AT&T disclosed the second breach affected nearly all of its 109 million customers.
Combined, the two attacks impacted more than 180 million AT&T accounts with some customers hit more than once.
What was exposed?
The settlement covers two distinct types of exposure:
1. The First Breach (AT&T, total settlement payout of $149 million): Account Information – Customers had sensitive account details exposed, including :
- Names
- Birthdates
- Addresses
- Account numbers
- In some cases, Social Security numbers
2. The Second Breach (AT&T Snowflake, total settlement payout of $28 million): Call and Text Metadata – This breach did not include the content of calls or texts, but instead, it exposed detailed metadata such as:
- Your phone number
- Numbers you communicated with
- The dates and times of calls or texts
- Interaction frequencies
- Call durations
While not revealing conversations, this kind of data can still paint a detailed picture of a person’s communication patterns.
Are you eligible?
There is no public search tool available where you can simply type in your name to see whether or not your information was exposed. Instead, eligibility is handled through the official settlement administrator, Kroll, which has already sent notices to affected account holders.
Here’s how to navigate the settlement website:
- Option 1: Visit the Official Settlement Website (TelecomDataSettlement.com). If you received a notice (by mail or email), click “Submit Claim” and enter your Class Member ID.
- Option 2: Didn’t Get a Notice or Lost Your Member ID?
You can still begin the process even without your Class Member ID. Instead of “Submit Claim,” click: “Resend Class Member ID.” If your account information or metadata was part of either breach, Kroll will send your Class Member ID along with instructions on how to complete your claim.
- Option 3: Still Need Help?
You can contact Kroll Settlement Administration directly at 833-890-4930.
How much can you receive?
The exact amount varies, but some customers may be eligible for significant compensation, up to $7,500 if you were affected by both breaches and you experienced identity theft or fraud linked to the exposure. The maximum payout will require documentation, and again, it only applies fraud or ID theft that can be directly lined back to the breach.
Deadline approaching
The deadline for filing a claim is Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. If you miss this date, you lose your chance of receiving compensation.
Good luck!