AT&T's $177 Million Data Breach Settlement Could Mean A $7,500 Payment For You

Among the many class action lawsuits that have been popping up lately — like Capitol One's $425 million class action settlement – AT&T customers could be in for a significant payout. A massive $177 million class action settlement against AT&T for a pair of data breaches by hackers could mean payments of up to $7,500 per customer. AT&T was hit with numerous lawsuits following two separate data breaches by hackers. Much like 23andMe's bankruptcy-causing data breach, AT&T's March 2024 breach led to the leak of personal information — including Social Security numbers and birth dates — for 73 million active and former AT&T customers. This data ended up on the "dark web" – a sector of the internet often used for illegal activities. The second breach in this suit was publicly announced in July 2024, and involved hackers swiping customer data from a third-party cloud platform that AT&T used as a workspace. In that incident, the calls and texts of virtually all AT&T customers between May 1 and October 31, 2022 were taken.

The lawsuits from these incidents were later merged into two class-action cases. Then, in June 2025, a federal judge tentatively approved a $149 million settlement for the March 2024 breach and a $28 million settlement for the July 2024 breach. A final hearing to work out the details of this settlement is set to take place on December 3, 2025. However, if you're an affected customer, you'll need to get your paperwork in order before then. In fact, you must submit a claim — and provide proof of damages — by November 18, 2025 in order to be eligible.

Unlike how Capital One customers can get a bigger payout if they close their account by a certain date, AT&T customers should be receiving notice — without needing to lose their account. According to the AT&T Data Incident Settlement website, notices are being sent via email to customers affected by the breach. Those who are still unsure if they were affected can call or use the website's online contact form to find out more. Both the website and phoneline are overseen by Kroll, a New York-based company that provides administrative services for class-action settlements. From there, if you want to ensure you get a payment, you will need to fill out the online settlement claim form by November 18, 2025. Or, you can mail in your claim form. Just remember that the claim form must be postmarked by November 18.

Those specifically affected by the March 2024 breach are able to make claims for damages that "occurred in 2019 or later" for up to $5,000. Meanwhile, those impacted by the July 2024 announced breach are eligible get losses of up to $2,500 for losses that happened on or after April 2024. If impacted by both, you could be eligible for get a payment of up to $7,500, but you will need to provide proof of those losses such as receipts, account statements, and affidavits. Also, keep in mind that no claims will come before the December 3 hearing, and even then any payments could be further delayed by additional appeals.