T-Mobile data breach: customers could claim up to $25K

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Since 2021, T-Mobile has been reeling from a massive data breach affecting the personal information of more than 76 million customers. The telecom giant announced in August 2021 that hackers had accessed countless customer names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, addresses and dates of birth.

The plaintiffs' attorneys announced a consolidated class action lawsuit in May 2022, alleging that "T-Mobile completely failed to meet its privacy obligations and protect sensitive consumer data. Instead, T-Mobile suffered one of the largest and most consequential data breaches in U.S. history."

A tentative settlement has been announced, but affected customers have only a few weeks left 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. T-Mobile also announced additional moves to avoid breaches 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;
Engaging in long-term collaborations with industry experts Mandiant, Accenture, and KPMG to design strategies and execute plans to further transform our cybersecurity program;
Committing to investing hundreds of millions of dollars to enhance our current cybersecurity tools and capabilities; and
Conducting nearly 900,000 training courses for employees and partners across our company to understand their critical role in these efforts."

How to make your T-Mobile claim

1. Confirm your eligibility for a payout

First, confirm that you're eligible for the settlement payout.
T-Mobile has identified at least 76 million past and present U.S. customers with potentially compromised personal information.

Consult the FAQs page of the settlement website for more detailed eligibility criteria.
Most eligible class members should have already received a settlement notification in the mail, so check your mailbox or that unread pile of mail by your door to be sure.
You can also confirm your status by contacting the settlement administrator via the following channels:
Email: info@t-mobilesettlement.com
Telephone: 833-512-2314

Claim your payout

If you're eligible, you must file a claim by 11:59 p.m. 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 or
Mail a completed claim form to
T-Mobile Data Breach Settlement, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391

What are the T-Mobile data breach payout tiers?

If you're eligible, the potential payouts are as follows:

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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 payment	Two free years of McAfee ID Theft Protection Service
Customers who spent time and money to recover from fraud or identity theft	$25,000 cash payment	Two free years of McAfee ID Theft Protection Service

When to expect your payout

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 will typically go out up to 90 days later, assuming no potential appeals slow the process down further.

The settlement website advises affected claimants, "This may take several months or more, so please be patient."

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Ben Demers manages digital content and engagement at Kiplinger, informing readers through a range of personal finance articles, e-newsletters, social media, syndicated content, and videos. He is passionate about helping people lead their best lives through sound financial behavior, particularly saving money at home and avoiding scams and identity theft. Ben graduated with an M.P.S. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from Vassar College. He joined Kiplinger in May 2017.