T-Mobile data breach settlement
Yes. The T-Mobile data breach settlement is real: a $350 million class action settlement in federal court, Western District of Missouri, run by Kroll Settlement Administration. Payments to people who filed a valid claim are going out now.
The administrator says all court proceedings are complete and the initial distribution has concluded; a residual distribution is expected to take place later this year.
Is it real?
Yes. The case is In re: T-Mobile Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, case number MDL No. 3019, Case No. 4:21-md-03019-BCW, in the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri. The court appointed Kroll Settlement Administration to run it, and its only official site is t-mobilesettlement.com.
How the real notice reached people. Identified class members were notified of the settlement in 2022 (the court says the notice plan reached approximately 92.4% of the class); the administrator does not publish the original notice sender address. For payments: starting November 19, 2025, a 'last chance' email came from [email protected] asking claimants with a failed e-payment to update their details (FAQ 24). Deficiency-response notices were mailed October 22, 2024. The site says it is 'the only authorized website for this case' and asks people not to contact the court, its clerk or T-Mobile. No specific scam warning is published.
To tell a real message from a scam:
- The only official site is t-mobilesettlement.com.Type it into your browser yourself rather than tapping a link. Claim pages on news and lawyer-advertising sites, and lookalike addresses, are not the administrator.
- Filing costs nothing.No real settlement charges a fee to file a claim or to release a payment. Anyone asking for one is running a scam.
- Nobody needs your passwords.The administrator never asks for your T-Mobile password, your online banking login or a code texted to you. Payment details go only into the claim form on t-mobilesettlement.com.
- Check by phone.If you aren’t sure a message is real, call the administrator on 1-833-512-2314, the number on t-mobilesettlement.com, not one in the message.
- Claims have closed.The deadline was 23 January 2023. A message now urging you to file a new claim, or to pay or “verify” your bank details to receive money, is a warning sign. Check on t-mobilesettlement.com instead.
Who qualifies
The approximately 76 million U.S. residents identified by T-Mobile whose information was compromised in the data breach T-Mobile announced on August 16, 2021. Excludes T-Mobile officers and directors, the judge and staff, people who opted out, and people who started or gave notice of an arbitration over the breach on or before July 26, 2022.
Size: approximately 76 million U.S. consumers.
It covers people in the United States only. If you live elsewhere, you are not part of it, whatever a message says.
How much
The total settlement is $350,000,000. What each person can claim:
| Benefit | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-pocket losses | up to $25,000 (including your claim for Lost Time) | documented losses on or after August 1, 2021, such as credit freezes, monitoring, fraud costs and professional fees |
| Lost time | $25 per hour or your documented hourly wage | up to 15 hours tied to qualifying losses, or up to 5 hours self-certified |
| Alternative cash payment | $25, or $100 if you resided in California on August 1, 2021 | instead of losses and lost time; amount could change with the number of claims |
| Identity Defense Services | two (2) years of Identity Defense Services, provided through Pango | class members who did not claim can still enroll by calling 1-833-512-2314; available through January 20, 2028 |
| Restoration Services | free to all class members | fraud resolution specialists through Pango, no claim needed, through January 20, 2028 |
An amount marked estimated or pro rata changes with the number of valid claims: more claims, smaller shares. Losses need proof, such as receipts or bank statements.
Deadline and payout
- Claim deadline: (passed).
- Opt-out and objection deadline: .
- Final approval hearing: .
- Final approval granted: .
Payout. Initial payments have been made by the method each claimant chose (digital payment or paper check), and the reissue deadline has passed. A second (residual) distribution of leftover money is 'expected to take place later this year' (the site does not give a date).
The administrator: “A residual distribution is expected to take place later this year.”
Filing and payment
- The claims period closed on January 23, 2023.
- Class members who never claimed can still enroll in Identity Defense Services or use Restoration Services by calling 1-833-512-2314 (through January 20, 2028).
- If you filed a claim and were not paid, call the administrator at 1-833-512-2314.
Official site: t-mobilesettlement.com. Phone: 1-833-512-2314. Mail: T-Mobile Data Breach Settlement, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391.
The breach, and what to do today
On August 16, 2021, T-Mobile announced it had been the victim of a criminal cyberattack on its systems that compromised the personal information of approximately 76 million U.S. consumers.
What was exposed: names; addresses; zip codes; phone numbers; dates of birth; social security number/tax identification number; other government identification number including driver's license number; account establish date; name of authorized user; IMSI; MSISDN; PIN; personal unlock code.
A settlement pays for what already happened. The data is still out there, so do these now:
- Freeze your credit.In the US it’s free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and no one can open credit in your name while it’s on. Lift it for a day when you apply for credit yourself.
- Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN.It stops anyone filing a tax return in your name with your Social Security number. Request one at irs.gov/ippin.
- Put a PIN on your phone account.Ask your mobile provider for a port-out PIN or number lock, so no one can move your number to their SIM.
- Distrust messages about T-Mobile and this settlement.Breach data is used to make scam messages personal enough to believe, for years afterwards. Go to the company or the official site yourself.
To see which other breaches your email address is in, search it on Have I Been Pwned, then read Breaches.
Questions
Is the T-Mobile data breach settlement legit?
Yes. It is In re: T-Mobile Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, case MDL No. 3019, Case No. 4:21-md-03019-BCW, in the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Kroll Settlement Administration runs it for the court, and the only official site is t-mobilesettlement.com.
Who qualifies for the T-Mobile settlement?
The approximately 76 million U.S. residents identified by T-Mobile whose information was compromised in the data breach T-Mobile announced on August 16, 2021. Excludes T-Mobile officers and directors, the judge and staff, people who opted out, and people who started or gave notice of an arbitration over the breach on or before July 26, 2022.
How much will I get from the T-Mobile settlement?
Up to up to $25,000 (including your claim for Lost Time) for losses you can prove, or $25, or $100 if you resided in California on August 1, 2021 as a cash payment without receipts. The total settlement is $350,000,000. Final amounts depend on how many valid claims there are.
What is the deadline for the T-Mobile settlement?
The claim deadline was 23 January 2023. It has passed.
When will the T-Mobile settlement pay out?
Initial payments have been made by the method each claimant chose (digital payment or paper check), and the reissue deadline has passed. A second (residual) distribution of leftover money is 'expected to take place later this year' (the site does not give a date).
Other settlements: California Casualty, Finastra, Telmate, Covenant Health, AMCA, DaVita, and the rest in Settlements.
Sources
Checked on 7 November 2026. HARD is not part of the case and doesn’t take claims.
- T-Mobile Data Breach Settlement: home page and status, Kroll Settlement Administration, read 7 Nov 2026: proceedings complete, initial distribution concluded, residual distribution expected.
- T-Mobile Data Breach Settlement: FAQ, Kroll Settlement Administration, read 7 Nov 2026: benefits, deadlines, hearing, last chance email sender.
- Order and Judgment Granting Final Approval (Doc. 235, filed 06/29/23), US District Court, W.D. Mo. (Judge Brian C. Wimes), read 7 Nov 2026: 92.4% notice reach, over 2 million claims, $500 million total cash commitment.