AT&T data breach
The AT&T data breach exposed 49,102,176 accounts in August 2021. The data taken includes dates of birth, government issued IDs, names and physical addresses and 2 more kinds of data.[1]
Have I Been Pwned verified it and added it to its search on 19 Mar 2024, 3 years later. It is the 45th largest of the 618 breaches in HARD’s list.
What was exposed
AT&T’s breach included 6 kinds of data. What each lets criminals do:
| Data | What it’s used for |
|---|---|
| Dates of birth | Used to prove who you are to banks and phone companies. |
| Government issued IDs | Enough to open accounts or take out loans in your name. |
| Names | Makes scam messages personal enough to believe. |
| Physical addresses | Used to prove who you are, and for scam letters and parcels. |
| Email addresses | Expect scam emails that name the company to look genuine. |
| Phone numbers | Expect scam texts and calls, and a higher risk of someone moving your number to their SIM. |
What to do
- Check whether you’re in it.Search your email address on Have I Been Pwned. It tells you which breaches it appears in, AT&T among them, without showing the data.
- Distrust messages that mention AT&T.Scammers use breach data to sound genuine. Don’t click links in emails or texts about the breach; go to the site yourself.
- Put a PIN on your phone account.Ask your mobile provider for a port-out PIN, so no one can move your number to their SIM.
- Freeze your credit.In the US, free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. In Australia, ask Equifax, Experian and illion for a ban. No one can open credit in your name while it’s on.
Criminals use leaked details like these to make scam texts, emails and calls look real. How to spot the ones that follow a breach like this: E-ZPass and toll scam texts, USPS scam texts and Wrong number text scams.
Settlement. This breach is covered by the AT&T data breach settlement (claims closed): who qualifies, how much, and when it pays.
Timeline
- : the breach, as best it can be dated.
- : Have I Been Pwned verifies the data and adds it to its search, 3 years later.
- : the entry was last updated.
Breaches often stay hidden for a long time. Until it came out, people in it had no reason to change anything.
Similar breaches
Breaches that leaked the same kinds of data, closest in time:
- Angel One, April 2023, 6.8 million accounts
- Odido, February 2026, 6.1 million accounts
- JCPenney, June 2026, 368,418 accounts
- Assurance Retraite, September 2024, 70,372 accounts
- Master Deeds, March 2017, 2.3 million accounts
- Miljödata, August 2025, 870,108 accounts
See Breaches for all 618, and Updates for keeping your devices patched.
References
External links
- Have I Been Pwned, to check your email address