Three years after T-Mobile reached a settlement regarding a massive data breach, payments are finally being issued to affected customers. In 2021, a cyberattack compromised the personal information of 76 million T-Mobile customers in the United States. To address the situation, T-Mobile agreed to pay $350 million in settlement funds due to allegations of failing to adequately protect sensitive information.
Recently, notifications have been sent out to customers regarding their settlement payments. Some users are receiving Virtual Prepaid Mastercards, while others are seeing direct deposits into their Zelle accounts. Customers who incurred expenses due to the breach were promised up to $25,000, while others were told to expect either $25 or $100 depending on their state of residence as of August 1, 2021.
Interestingly, some customers report receiving amounts that exceed initial expectations. For instance, two users mentioned receiving $56.54, which is higher than the initial $25 guidance. It seems that the lower number of claims submitted has allowed for these payouts to exceed expectations somewhat.
While $56.54 may not seem significant, it’s important to note that the $350 million settlement is spread across various expenses, including attorney fees and identity defense services. The broader implication of these payments is less about compensating individual customers for their experiences, and more about holding large corporations accountable for their oversights and inadequacies in safeguarding personal information. Overall, the distribution of settlement payments marks a significant step in addressing the consequences of the data breach.