AT&T customers now have less than two months to claim up to $7,500 from a data breach settlement that involves two separate incidents.
The company is accused of not doing enough to prevent customer information from being stolen in March and July 2024.
AT&T has agreed to pay out $177 million over two separate data leak incidents[/caption]
The claim deadline for this lawsuit is set for November 18.
Customers of the telecommunications giant can claim up to $5,000 from the March incident and $2,500 from the July one.
AT&T has agreed to pay out $177 million to customers despite not admitting to any wrongdoing.
An AT&T spokesperson explained to Nextstar the reasoning behind the pay out.
They said: “While we deny the allegations in these lawsuits that we were responsible for these criminal acts, we have agreed to this settlement to avoid the expense and uncertainty of protracted litigation.
“We remain committed to protecting our customers’ data and ensuring their continued trust in us.”
Plaintiffs argue that AT&T didn’t do enough to stop the Social Security numbers of 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former account holders from being leaked to a third-party.
AT&T had previously confirmed that it was probing for a data set that was released onto the “dark web”.
This refers to a private place on the internet where people can conduct business, thought to be possibly illegal, anonymously.
This settlement benefits those who had their information leaked onto the dark web or their call logs unknowingly accessed by an unauthorized party.
SETTLEMENT REWARDS
Aside from the financial compensation, the class action also provides up to 24 months of credit monitoring.
Those who were affected in both the March and July incidents can claim up to $7,500, but the final figure each claimant will be paid is subject to how many people successfully claim.
This is because the more people that successfully claim, the more people the money will have to be stretched between equally.
The $177 million settlement fund will also be used to pay other expenses such as attorney fees.
What’s a class-action settlement?
Class action lawsuits offer groups of people, or ‘classes,’ a way to band together in court.
These suits are often brought by one or a few people who allege a company or other entity has wronged a large group of people.
When a suit becomes a class action, it extends to all “class members,” or people who may have similar complaints to those who filed the suit.
Companies often settle class actions – offering payment to class members who typically waive their right to pursue further legal action by accepting money.
These payout agreements frequently include statements by the defendant denying wrongdoing. Companies tend to settle class actions to avoid the costs of further litigation.
Pollution, discrimination, or false advertising are a few examples of what can land a class action on a company’s doorstep.
CLAIM DEADLINE
Those who are eligible should already have a class member ID that they can use to file a claim.
They will also need to provide their email address, AT&T account number when filing.
Someone who knowingly submits a fraudulent claim form will be harming those who are eligible to receive financial compensation.
If an eligible claimants submits a claim form after the November 19 deadline, they will not be considered for payment.
The final approval hearing for the AT&T settlement is set for December 3, 2025.
You can submit a claim form by clicking this link.
Customers of the telecommunications giant can claim up to $5,000 from the March incident and $2,500 from the July one[/caption]
