Update Aug. 18: This article, originally published Aug. 15, has been updated to include details from fact-checking website Snopes confirming payout amounts as part of the AT&T breach settlement.
AT&T has suffered two significant data breaches over the last few years and as a result, millions of customers can now file a claim for a payout of up to $7,500.
It comes after AT&T agreed to a $177 million settlement earlier this year. The first of the two breaches in question came to light in March 2024, when the details of 7.6 million AT&T customers and 65 million former account holders were found on the “dark web” — the underground version of the internet where cybercriminals operate. The actual breach took place five years earlier in 2019.
The second, which AT&T admitted to in July 2024, saw nearly customers’ data exposed via third party platform Snowflake in a 2022 incident.
A federal judge in Texas has now given approval for two settlement funds, for $149 million and $28 million.
AT&T denies the allegations and said it had agreed to the settlement to avoid costly litigation.
“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,” an AT&T spokesperson told me via email. “We remain committed to protecting our customers’ data and ensuring their continued trust in us.”
So who is eligible, how much do you get and how do you make a claim?
Who Is Eligible For The AT&T Data Breach Payout?
You might have already received an email about the AT&T class action payout — in which case, you know you are eligible. It should come from the address [email protected], so check your junk mail too.
The first class action payout is for the March 2024 data breach and is labelled AT&T 1 Settlement class, according to the newly-set up settlement website. You can apply if your data — including names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, account passcodes, billing account numbers and social security numbers— was included in the breach.
Meanwhile AT&T 2 Settlement Class is for users whose information was involved in the 2022 incident. This includes phone numbers of current and former AT&T customers, as well as the numbers of those they interacted with, call durations and “in a small number of cases, the cell site identification numbers associated with the interactions,” according to the website.
How Much Can I Claim In The AT&T Data Breach Settlement?
How much you can claim in the AT&T class action payout depends on which settlement you are applying for, but the individual payouts could be hefty. For Settlement 1, you have two options: A documented loss cash payment of up to $5,000 for losses that occurred in 2019 or later; or a tier cash payment, which is a pro rata share of the AT&T 1 net settlement fund cash.
Just to complicate things more, there are two tiers for the latter payment. Tier 1, for AT&T 1 settlement class members who had their social security number exposed, includes a payment five times as large as tier 2, which is for people whose SSNs were not involved in the breach.
For AT&T 2 settlement class, the documented loss cash payment is up to $2,500 per person for losses that occurred on or after April 14, 2024.
Again, there is an option for a pro rata share of the AT&T 2 Net Settlement Fund cash.
How Much Will I Really Get From The AT&T Breach Settlement?
Over the last few days, the AT&T breach settlement has gained a lot of attention, not least because of the amount of cash potentially available, Granted, $7,500 is a large number, and this figure has dominated the headlines, leading some people to question whether the claims are real.
If you’ve ended up here, on this story, you might also be wondering if the headlines about getting $7,500 from AT&T are true. You might notice that I haven’t included the amount in my headline, because it’s the maximum amount, not what will be given out as standard. In reality, most people who apply for the AT&T data breach settlement will receive a lot less.
Now there’s a fact-checking website backing this up. Snopes, a fact-checking website that often picks up popular topics covered in the press, has added an entry on the AT&T breach settlement claims.
The claims about the possibility of receiving $7,500 from class-action lawsuit against AT&T are “authentic,” according to the post on Snopes. Any emails individuals received in August 2025 from Kroll Settlement Administration stating they could claim as much as $7,500 from the settlement are “legitimate,” Snopes adds.
Not all emails are reliable, in fact, many are sent by cybercriminals looking to steal cash or personal details from American citizens. Some AT&T customers began receiving emails about a settlement in August 2025, before the news stories picked up on the topic, prompting many to wonder whether the message were legit.
Snopes shared screenshots posted by social media users showing the email they received from Kroll Settlement Administration. Several Snopes readers sent emails to ask whether the settlement emails they received were real or were scams, according to the site.
“People receiving the emails could claim up to $5,000 or $7,500 from AT&T because of a settlement prompted by a data breach, according to various posts online,” Snopes writes.
“The settlement was real, and the settlement’s administrators sent legitimate emails to potential claimants in August 2025,” Snopes says.
“People who can show documentation they lost money because of two separate AT&T data breaches may receive up to $7,500 — but most will receive less,” according to the post.
Snopes confirmed Kroll Settlement Administration is the settlement’s administrator. “Kroll sent out mail and email notices to potential claimants and created a website, telecomdatasettlement.com, for people to submit their claims,” the site confirms.
But even if you qualify, you do need to apply for the AT&T breach payout. According to Kroll’s website, people who do nothing will not receive any benefits from the settlement, Snopes warns.
How Do I make A Claim?
You will need to submit a claim form online by Nov. 18, or you can do so by mail to the address listed on the settlement website.
You can, of course, apply for both payouts at a total of $7,500, but you will need to file each claim separately.
Note that in both cases, you need to be able to prove you were affected by the AT&T data breach, including any losses you incurred as a result.
A final approval hearing has been set for Dec. 3, after which the settlement payments will start to be sent out, so expect to see your money around the start of 2026.
AT&T Payout — The Impact Of A Breach
With payouts of up to $7,500 per person, the AT&T data breach settlement shows the real impact of people’s data being exposed online. Yet for customers whose details were exposed, the genie is already out of the bottle. When it’s sensitive information such as your social security number, the AT&T class action payout might not seem so large.
