Telmate data breach settlement
Yes. The Telmate data breach settlement is real: a $4,225,000 class action settlement in federal court, Eastern District of Virginia, run by Kroll Settlement Administration. Claims are open until 21 December 2026, on telmatedatabreachsettlement.com only.
The administrator lists a claims deadline of Monday, December 21, 2026; a banner says online claims are temporarily down and claims can still be mailed or made by calling the hotline.
Is it real?
Yes. The case is Cooper v. Telmate, LLC d/b/a Viapath Technologies, case number 1:24-cv-01622, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The court appointed Kroll Settlement Administration to run it, and its only official site is telmatedatabreachsettlement.com.
How the real notice reached people. Not confirmed: the long form notice and settlement agreement PDFs on the official site would not load on 7 November 2026, so the notice method and any Class Member ID could not be read. The site says it is the only authorized website for this case; no other scam warning is published.
To tell a real message from a scam:
- The only official site is telmatedatabreachsettlement.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 Telmate password, your online banking login or a code texted to you. Payment details go only into the claim form on telmatedatabreachsettlement.com.
- Check by phone.If you aren’t sure a message is real, call the administrator on 833-453-3721, the number on telmatedatabreachsettlement.com, not one in the message.
Who qualifies
All individuals within the United States of America whose Personal Information was impacted during the Security Incident Telmate experienced on approximately August 13, 2020. Excludes the presiding judge and family, Telmate and its related companies and their officers and directors, and anyone who opts out.
Size: approximately 431,031 individuals (settlement class size on the official FAQ).
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 $4,225,000. What each person can claim:
| Benefit | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pro Rata Cash Payment | equal share of what is left in the $4,225,000 fund | no documents needed; paid after administration costs, fees (up to $1,408,333.33 requested), costs (up to $35,000), a $5,000 service award and approved loss claims; no estimate published |
| Documented Out-of-Pocket Loss | up to $5,000 per person | unreimbursed losses more likely than not attributable to the incident, with third-party documents such as phone records, correspondence and receipts; can be claimed with the cash payment |
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: .
- Opt-out and objection deadline: .
- Final approval hearing: .
Payout. Payments will be distributed after final approval and any appeals are resolved; no date is published.
The administrator: “The Settlement Class consists of approximately 431,031 individuals.”
How to file
- Go to telmatedatabreachsettlement.com (the only authorized website) and choose Submit Claim.
- If the online form is down (a banner said so on 7 November 2026), print the Claim Form from the Documents page or call 833-453-3721.
- Pick the pro rata cash payment, documented losses up to $5,000, or both; attach third-party proof for losses.
- Mail to Kroll at P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391, postmarked by December 21, 2026.
Official site: telmatedatabreachsettlement.com. Phone: 833-453-3721. Mail: Cooper v. Telmate LLC d/b/a Viapath Technologies, c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, P.O. Box 225391, New York, NY 10150-5391.
The breach, and what to do today
A malicious third party accessed files on the network of Telmate, which runs prison and jail communication services such as GettingOut, VisitNow and Telmate Inmate Telephone, between August 11 and August 13, 2020. Telmate notified 44,360 people in 2020, then told more people after a Federal Trade Commission investigation in 2024.
What was exposed: full names; dates of birth; phone numbers; email addresses; usernames paired with passwords; home addresses; driver's license numbers; passport numbers; Social Security numbers; payment card numbers; financial account information.
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.
- Watch your statements.Look for small charges you don’t recognise and report them to your bank. Ask for a new card if a full card number leaked.
- 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.
- Change the password and the answers.On Telmate and anywhere you reused them. Treat security answers like extra passwords.
- Distrust messages about Telmate 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.
Not published yet
The administrator and the court had not published these when HARD checked on 8 November 2026, so this page doesn’t guess:
- When payments will be sent.
Questions
Is the Telmate data breach settlement legit?
Yes. It is Cooper v. Telmate, LLC d/b/a Viapath Technologies, case 1:24-cv-01622, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Kroll Settlement Administration runs it for the court, and the only official site is telmatedatabreachsettlement.com.
Who qualifies for the Telmate settlement?
All individuals within the United States of America whose Personal Information was impacted during the Security Incident Telmate experienced on approximately August 13, 2020. Excludes the presiding judge and family, Telmate and its related companies and their officers and directors, and anyone who opts out.
How much will I get from the Telmate settlement?
Up to up to $5,000 per person for losses you can prove. The total settlement is $4,225,000. Final amounts depend on how many valid claims there are.
What is the deadline for the Telmate settlement?
File by 21 December 2026, on telmatedatabreachsettlement.com or by mail.
When will the Telmate settlement pay out?
Payments will be distributed after final approval and any appeals are resolved; no date is published.
Other settlements: California Casualty, Finastra, Covenant Health, AMCA, DaVita, Warner Music Group, and the rest in Settlements.
Sources
Checked on 8 November 2026. HARD is not part of the case and doesn’t take claims.
- Cooper v. Telmate LLC: settlement home, Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, read 7 Nov 2026: fund, class, dates, outage banner.
- Frequently Asked Questions, Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, read 7 Nov 2026: services affected, data list, 44,360 first notified, class of approximately 431,031, benefits, fees, mailing address, hearing.
- Important Documents, Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, read 7 Nov 2026: lists notice, claim form, settlement agreement and preliminary approval order; the PDFs did not load.