It wasn’t yet Groundhog Day, but news at the end of January felt all too familiar. T-Mobile announced that it has been investigating yet another major data breach. Initial reports are that this hack has potentially compromised the information relating to 37 million accounts, roughly a third of T-Mobile’s customers.
This is the second time in less than two years, and the fifth time since 2018, that T-Mobile announced it was the victim of a major data hack. The 2021 case, relating to 76 million customers, resulted in a class action suit that was settled. But notably, one of the settlement terms was that T-Mobile agreed to improve its data security significantly. T-Mobile committed to spending an additional $150 million on information security in 2022 and 2023, above and beyond what it had previously budgeted for. Well, if that happened, security experts and customers alike are saying that there wasn’t enough of an improvement.
One other concern: this breach included information for both prepaid and postpaid accounts. So customers using prepaid phones (sometimes called “burner phones”) to protect their identity may be stunned to realize that their information, too, may have been compromised.
In all likelihood, T-Mobile will be facing yet another class action lawsuit. Eventually, impacted customers may be eligible for compensation—such as credit monitoring and perhaps a small amount of cash.
But if you are (or were) a T-Mobile customer concerned that your data may have been compromised in this latest data breach, there is more than you can do to protect yourself. You can start by getting a free credit report and adding fraud alert notices to your accounts at the three major credit bureaus. You should also watch for any signs of identity theft, whether on your credit reports or your existing accounts.
If you do see any errors (hack-related or otherwise) on your credit report, the credit bureaus are required to fix them. But if they aren’t doing so, and you need help correcting your credit information, contact an attorney who specializes in representing clients like you.
A lawyer can not only help you repair your record, but they can also help you obtain compensation for any damages you sustained.