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After delays and multiple years, millions of T-Mobile customers will receive their cut of settlement money from the 2021 data breach.
WASHINGTON — Years after a cyberattack compromised the data of millions of T-Mobile customers, the company is sending out settlement payments sometime in May.
The settlement administrator says payments intended to go out in April, but “unexpected delays” pushed them to May of 2025. It all stems from an August 2021 cyber breach that exposed some social security numbers, names, addresses, dates of birth and driver’s license information from T-Mobile customers. No financial information was exposed during the breach.
T-Mobile agreed to pay $350 million to customers affected by a class action lawsuit filed after the breach, but didn’t admit to any wrongdoing.
Those impacted by the settlement may have forgotten about the payments, so here’s a refresher on what to know.
How much will affected customers get?
The amount customers receive varies depending on multiple factors, but some people could see up to a $25,000 payout.
Customers who didn’t claim reimbursement for out-of-pocket losses and lost time were able to submit a claim for cash payment of $25 or $100 if they were a California resident on Aug. 1, 2021.
Any money leftover after disbursements will be split across the settlement members or anyone else the court orders, but will not go back to T-Mobile, according to the settlement administrator.
When will payments be sent out?
Payments were originally scheduled for April 2025, but “unexpected delays” pushed them back to May. Payments will either be sent out in check through the mail, or online payment methods depending on what claimants chose during the claim process.
Payments should be sent out anytime now. Find more information and updates here.
Can I still make a claim in the 2021 T-Mobile breach?
The deadline to make a claim related to this class action has passed as the settlement was agreed to in 2022. The file day to make a claim was Jan. 23, 2023. The identified 76 million people impacted by the breach should have received notice of the settlement with instructions on how to submit a claim or remove themselves from the class action lawsuit.
Those who did file a claim before the deadline should also have received a notice of the confirmed amounts from the settlement in October last year.
What has changed since the breach?
T-Mobile said in 2021 they partnered with KPMG, a cybersecurity consultant, to “map out definitive actions that will be designed to protect our customers and others from malicious activity now and into the future.”
The company also settled with the Federal Communications Commission late last year, agreeing to pay an additional $15.75 million civil penalty and $15.75 million to strengthen its cybersecurity program due to data breaches in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
T-Mobile, based in Bellevue, Washington, became one of the country’s largest cellphone service carriers, along with AT&T and Verizon, after acquiring rival Sprint in 2020. It reported having a total of 102.1 million U.S. customers after the merger.
