Since 2021, T-Mobile has experienced a massive data breach that affected the personal information of more than 76 million customers. The telecom giant announced in August 2021 (opens in a new tab) that hackers have access to countless customer names, social security numbers, phone numbers, addresses and dates of birth.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers announced a consolidated class action (opens in a new tab) in May 2022, claiming that “T-Mobile completely failed to uphold its privacy obligations and protect sensitive consumer data. Instead, T-Mobile experienced one of the largest and most consequential data breaches in US history.”
A tentative settlement has been announced, but affected customers have only a few weeks to claim their share of the payout fund.
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T-Mobile’s response to the breach
In July 2022, T-Mobile agreed to pay $350 million to settle customer claims and $150 million to upgrade its cybersecurity, according to CNET (opens in a new tab). T-Mobile also announced additional moves (opens in a new tab) to avoid violations in the future:
- “Creating a Cybersecurity Transformation Office that reports directly to our CEO and adding more top talent with decades of cyber strategy experience and leadership to our team;
- Engage in long-term collaboration with industry experts Mandiant, Accenture, and KPMG to design strategies and execute plans to further transform our cybersecurity program;
- Commit to investing hundreds of millions of dollars to improve our current cybersecurity tools and capabilities; in the
- We conduct nearly 900,000 training courses for employees and partners in our company to understand their critical role in these efforts.
How to make your T-Mobile claim
1. Confirm your eligibility for a payment
First, confirm that you are eligible for the settlement payment.
T-Mobile has identified at least 76 million former and current US customers with potentially compromised personal information.
Claim yours for it
If you are eligible, you must submit a claim by 11:59 pm PT on January 23, 2023. If you make a claim by post, your claim must be postmarked by that date. You can submit a claim using the following methods:
- Submit a claim through the settlement website (opens in a new tab) or
- Mail a completed claim form (opens in a new tab) to
T-Mobile Data Breach Settlement, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, PO Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391
What are the T-Mobile data breach payout levels?
If you are eligible, the potential payouts are as follows:
| Class member | Cash payout | ID Theft Services |
|---|---|---|
| Current and former T-Mobile customers | $25 cash payment | Two free years of McAfee ID Theft Protection Service |
| California residents | $100 cash paid | Two free years of McAfee ID Theft Protection Service |
| Customers who have spent time and money recovering from fraud or identity theft | $25,000 cash payment | Two free years of McAfee ID Theft Protection Service |
When you expect your payment
The presiding judge in the class action case has scheduled a final approval hearing for the settlement on January 20, 2023. If the final settlement is approved, payments typically go out 90 days later, assuming no potential appeals further slow down the process. .
The settlement website (opens in a new tab) advises affected claimants, “This may take several months or more, so be patient.”
