T-Mobile’s $350 million cyberhack settlement: How to claim your share

After the personal information of millions of T-Mobile customers was exposed in a massive cyberattack in 2021, the telecommunications giant agreed this summer to $350 million settlement to resolve a class action.

Now a website has been launched that allows current and past T-Mobile customers to file a claim for their share of the payout.

Filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri in July, the settlement consolidates at least 44 separate class actions stemming from the data breach. In addition to the cash payments, he envisions T-Mobile investing $150 million in improving data security.

Final approval is still pending, but if approved, it would be the second largest data breach payout in US history after the Equifax payout $700 million deal in 2019.

T-Mobile has not admitted any wrongdoing, but in a statement shared with CNET, said it was “pleased with the resolution of this consumer class action filing.”

“Customers come first in everything we do and protecting their information is a top priority,” the carrier said. “Like any company, we are not immune to these criminal attacks.”

Here’s what you need to know about the T-Mobile data breach, including how to find out if you’re eligible for payment, how much you can get, and the deadline to file a claim.

For more information on class actionsfind out if you qualify for Smashburger $5 million payout for false advertising or Robinhood settles for $20 million over data breach.

What Happened in the T-Mobile Data Breach Case?

On August 15, 2021 T-Mobile reported a cyber attack led to the theft of millions of people’s personal information.

Exactly how many people were hacked and how they were affected is unclear: T-Mobile said only about 850,000 people’s names, addresses and PINs were “compromised”, although according to to court documentstheir data was exposed to approximately 76.6 million people.

And an individual selling the information on the dark web for six bitcoins (approximately $277,000 at the time) said Vice they had data relating to more than 100 million people, all collected from T-Mobile’s servers.

John Binns, a 21-year-old living in Turkey, eventually claimed responsibility for the breach, fifth such attack of T-Mobile since 2015 “I was panicking because I had access to something big,” Binns said The Wall Street Journal. “Their security is terrible.

Who is entitled to money in the T-Mobile settlement?

T-Mobile has identified 76 million US residents whose information was compromised in the data breach.

Class members were notified of the proposed settlement by mail, but you can confirm your status via email settlement administrator or call 833-512-2314.

How much money can I get?

Current and former T-Mobile customers are eligible for a cash payment of $25, according to settlement website. California residents are eligible for $100.

You may be reimbursed up to $25,000 if you had to spend time or money to recover from fraud or identity theft related to the breach, although you must provide extensive documentation to support your claim.

T-Mobile also offers two free years of McAfee’s ID Theft Protection Service to anyone who believes they may have been the victim of a hack.

When is the deadline for filing a claim?

The deadline for submitting a claim through class action website is January 23, 2023. You can also mail completed print a claim form to:

T-Mobile Data Breach Agreement
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
PO Box 225391 New York, NY 10150-5391

The deadline for objecting to or opting out of the agreement is December 8, 2022.

When will T-Mobile send checks?

A final hearing to approve the settlement is scheduled for January 20, 2023. Payments are typically sent within 90 days of settlement approval, although appeals can delay the process.

What is T-Mobile doing to protect itself from more data breaches?

T-Mobile has “doubled down” on the fight against hackers, the company said in a July 22 statement, boosting employee training, collaborating with industry experts such as Mandiant and Accenture on new protocols and creating a cybersecurity office that reports directly to the director of company CEO, Mike Sievert.

After the 2021 attack, T-Mobile fell victim to the hacking chain Lapsus$ in March 2022, security journalist Brian Krebs reported.

Hackers gained access to employee accounts and tried to find T-Mobile accounts linked to the Department of Defense and the FBI, TechCrunch reportedbut they were thwarted by secondary authentication checks.

Read more: How to protect your personal data after a security breach