AT&T customers have until November 18 to claim $5,000 from a huge data breach settlement.
The class action lawsuit levelled against the company cites two separate data leak incidents that resulted in customer information being compromised by a group of seedy hackers.
AT&T customers have until November 18 to claim $5,000 from a huge data breach settlement[/caption]
One of the biggest telecommunications companies in the US has agreed to pay out a massive $177 million to settle two claims against it.
Plaintiffs accuse AT&T of failing to protect customer information on two different occasions.
A federal judge in Texas has approved the amount, which comprises $149 million for a March 2024 incident and $28 million for one in July of the same year.
In March, the company confirmed it was investigating a data set released onto the “dark web”.
This is a private sector of the internet to conduct business anonymously without divulging identifying information.
AT&T said that the dataset found contained the Social Security numbers for about 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and 65.4 million former account holders.
CNET first reported that this leak began back in 2019.
Then, in the following July, AT&T confirmed that the call long data of nearly all customers were downloaded to a third-party platform in a 2022 security breach.
The settlements aim to benefit those who either had their information leaked on the dark web or those who had their call logs illegally accessed.
AT&T told Nexstar in a statement: “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.”
HOW MUCH WILL YOU BE PAID?
Despite not admitting to any wrongdoing, AT&T is paying out a multi-million-dollar total to settle the claims.
For the first settlement, the maximum amount a claimant can be reimbursed for is set at $5,000.
The second settlement has a payout limit of $2,500.
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.
The class action also provides up to 24 months of credit monitoring to those who submit a valid claim form.
It is important to note that the amount of the cash payment will depend on the number of valid claims submitted.
So, the more people submit a valid claim, the less money each individual will receive.
Then, the remaining funds will be paid out to others who were impacted.
Settlement funds will be used for other things, such as settlement administration costs and attorneys’ fees.
WHAT DATES DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?
If you do not submit a claim form by the required deadline, you will not be considered for a cash payment or any free credit monitoring services.
In this class action, the deadline to either opt out or object to the settlement value is set for October 17, 2025.
The deadline to submit a claim form is set for November 18, and the final approval hearing in the case has been set for December 3, 2025.
Note that if you knowingly submit a fraudulent claim, you are harming those who are eligible for compensation.
You can file a claim by clicking this link.
Plaintiffs accuse AT&T of failing to protect customer information on two different occasions[/caption]
