You might have heard of the data breach news about AT&T that broke out a few years ago, well, it turned out that the lawsuit on this American multinational telecommunications holding company got a bit serious. After all, more than 70 million customers’ data was leaked, so it had to be serious. Let’s see what are the crucial details of the ATT Data Breach Lawsuit, and what went down over the years.
What Went Down and When?
You see, back in August 2021, the digital storm clouds gathered as hackers began peddling a massive database stuffed with personal details from 70 million AT&T customers. We’re not just talking names and addresses here, but also phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and PINs, pretty much the main things someone can get access to. Despite this chilling scenario, AT&T’s initial reaction was to deny any breach had taken place, seemingly shrugging off further investigation. This went on until late March 2024, when AT&T finally came clean, admitting that the data breach had indeed compromised the personal information of about 73 million current and former customers. And that was big news. This compromised data, dating back as far as 2019, surfaced on the dark web, impacting 7.6 million current account holders and a whopping 65.4 million former ones.
The Legal Drama Begins
Once the breach hit the headlines, AT&T found itself drowning in a sea of class action lawsuits hence this ATT Data Breach Lawsuit. The plaintiffs charged AT&T with dropping the ball on securing its customers’ personal info, leading to this colossal data disaster. They claimed AT&T was asleep at the wheel, negligent, and in breach of its duty to shield sensitive data and respond swiftly once the breach came to light.
You see, the initial lawsuit slammed AT&T for its lackluster cybersecurity measures. Shortly after, a barrage of nearly a dozen class actions followed suit, all demanding jury trials and seeking reparations for the victims aka the customers.
One standout lawsuit, filed on April 3, 2024, hammered AT&T for dragging its feet for nearly three years before taking the breach seriously. It alleged that AT&T got wind of the breach back in August 2021 but kept quiet, only springing into action once the data leaked on the dark web in 2024.
Customer Fallout
The breach has had a massive impact on over 70 million current and former AT&T customers, many of whom got the dreaded notification that their personal info was out there to be accessed by anyone on the dark web. This breach wasn’t just a minor leak; it exposed critical data like Social Security numbers and account PINs, leaving these folks vulnerable to identity theft and fraud.
As a band-aid, AT&T offered the affected customers free identity theft protection and credit monitoring services to try and shield their personal info and keep an eye out for any sketchy activities. Despite these measures, many customers are still sweating over the long-term nightmares this breach might spawn and the potential abuse of their stolen info. Though, fast forward to April 2024, and the FTC is rolling out nearly $6.3 million in additional refunds to consumers who missed out on the 2019 settlement, benefiting over 200,000 individuals. The FTC continues to keep a hawk’s eye on AT&T, ready to swoop down on any further consumer protection violations in the telecom scene.
