Previous Data Breach Settlement notice

I noticed that text message yesterday and decided to call T-Mobile today because it seemed suspicious. I looked at the FAQ section on their site and found the following strange…

https://www.t-mobilesettlement.com/home/faqs2/

22. Where can I get more information?, at the very end of stating who you can contact, it states, “Please do not contact the Court, its Clerk, or T-Mobile.” 

Hmmm…

Well, I called them (T-Mobile) and the representative told me I did the right thing because they don’t know anything about it, and they would have sent me a letter in the mail, and not a text message.

Do you honestly believe that if you were eligible to get paid in a lawsuit that they would notify you in a text message?  Come on.  Don't be so gullible

Thank you for expressing this part. 

“You're not able to file a claim just yet, but when you are, you'll go through T-Mobile.”  Glad that I deleted that text. 

I googled it long before I came to here. Doesn't mean a random link is worth the risk, for me anyway. After all, if you're a part of that lawsuit your information was already breached once. That's just my opinion. Though I agree with the above that it's less likely to be notified via text. I've always gotten a letter in the mail or an email that you can trace to the exact source. You get your fifty bucks in the mail, let us know.

A simple Google search reveals plenty.

Please don't spread misinformation..

https://www.classaction.org/blog/t-mobile-data-breach-settlement-what-you-need-to-know

I’ve had my info breached twice because of Blue Cross health ins. and once thanks to one of the credit reporting agencies, Equifax or Experian, I don’t remember which one, and that’s all I know of, they may be more.  I think it’s safe to assume most peoples financial and personal info is “out there”.  My original SS card says right on the card that it is not to be used as identification, but that ship has sailed now.  I suggest people just freeze their credit files at the three bureaus, it’s easy to do, easy to lift a freeze and then add a freeze back after the credit is run.  I just did it to get a t mobile account and plan a few days ago.  My credit was thawed for about 3 hours while t mobile accessed my reports.  With your files frozen it’s almost, if not impossible for a thief to open any accounts in your name, even with all of your personal information.  Creditors can’t run a credit check, so no credit for the bad guy. It’s free to do.

It is a fraud, do not click any link from that message, I got the following message from 770-273-0561, so I decided to call T-Mobile first to find out what is going on.  Rep told me that this is not how they handle settlement, usually it will be a short message or a letter from the mail.

DO NOT CLICK THAT LINK, JUST DELETE THAT MESSAGE, BE SAFE, AND SHARE THIS TO T-Mobile's 😊

***** ***** ***** ** ** ***** ***** ***** ** ** 

From Kroll Settlement Administration LLC. If your information was compromised in the 2021 T-MOBILE DATA BREACH, you are eligible for benefits from a Class Action Settlement, Case No. 4:21-md-03019 (BCW). A federal court has authorized this Notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer. Visit https://t-mobilesettlement.com to file a claim using your Unique Class Member ID: 58500QIIT3C2T.
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I received this text 10 minutes ago but didn't click on the link. 

Congratulations! Milberg has settled your individual claim regarding the T-Mobile Data Breach that occurred in August 2021.  You are eligible to receive certain monetary and non-monetary benefits.  Please click here to visit the settlement website and select one (1) of the following benefit options:

Option 1:  Alternative Cash Payment + Financial Shield Service.  As an alternative to making a claim for reimbursement for out-of-pocket losses and lost time, you can receive a $200 payment + 5-year subscription to Aura’s Financial Shield Service plan ($1,000 total value).

Payment can be made by check, Paypal, Venmo, Prepaid Mastercard or Zelle.  

To learn more about the excellent benefits provided through Aura’s Financial Shield Service plan, scroll to the bottom of this email.

OR

Option 2:  Reimbursement for Money You Spent (Out-of-Pocket Losses) + Lost Time.  If you spent unreimbursed money in an effort to avoid or recover from fraud or identity theft that you believe is fairly traceable to the T-Mobile Data Breach (out-of-pocket losses), you can be reimbursed up to $25,000 (including any claim for lost time).  You must submit documents supporting your claim.  If you also spent time trying to avoid or recover from fraud or identity theft that you believe is fairly traceable to the T-Mobile Data Breach, you can get the greater of $25 per hour or, if you took time off work, your documented hourly wage for up to 5 total hours, or up to 15 total hours if you provide supporting documents demonstrating a valid claim for out-of-pocket losses.

To receive your benefits, you must make your selection by February 22, 2023.  After the deadline, we will assess the claimed and unclaimed benefits.  If there are unclaimed benefits, higher payments may be issued to those clients who made their benefit selections by the deadline.  In the event that an excessive number of claims are filed, it may be necessary to reduce each individual claim by an equal amount to ensure that clients receive their benefits on a pro rata basis.

Aura’s Financial Shield product offers monitoring and protection services not typically available through other credit monitoring or identity theft services and includes the following:

• Transaction Monitoring of all registered financial accounts, including spending, deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and transfer requests;

• Bank & Financial Account Monitoring around any changes requested, including new username and password, new signatory added or deleted, change of address of principal signatory, wire transfer requests to third parties, new accounts being set up using your SSN and DOB;

• Home Title & Property Title Monitoring to ensure that your family’s largest asset is not hijacked and resold or mortgaged by a criminal third party;

• Security Freeze Capability to let you take control of your credit data not only at the 3 major credit bureaus, but also at 7 other bureaus that can provide early warning for fraud events;

• Monthly Spending Graphs that provide detailed views of all spending and highlight any changes from month to month;

• Dark Web Monitoring on 17 different data points that will allow the service to give you early warning that your PII is in play in the criminal arena;

• Authentication Alerts when your SSN is used as part of an Identity Verification Event;

• Fictitious Identity Monitoring Alerts when your SSN is used in association with someone else’s name;

• High Risk Transaction Monitoring that looks for your PII included in transactions like Payday Loans, new credit account openings and the like to verify that these are legitimate events;

• Online Income Tax Alerts if you file an income tax return using the Turbo Tax service.  You are notified when a tax return is filed using your SSN and name to verify that it is your return and not a fraudulent event;

• Identity and Financial Fraud restoration services from the longest tenured and most experienced customer support team in the industry; and

• $1 million in Insurance provided by AIG to replace any funds lost via fraud or identity theft and the reimbursement of any personal expenses including professional fees, lost wages, postage, messenger services, and much more.

Thank you for sharing the links. I’m not in denial that the breach happened, I was informed of that last year via T-Mobile. 
 

I was hesitant about the form of communication that the settlement group chose. It wasn’t assuring at all to me. 

There's a P. T. Barnum quote that sums this up perfectly

Unfortunately, it looks as though we’re kinda screwed for the ability to sue post-settlement whether we take the money or not. But I’m not a lawyer. This info was on the settlement site:

“If you do nothing, you can still access Restoration Services after the Settlement is final, but will not be entitled to any other benefits provided under the Settlement. If the Settlement becomes final, you will give up your rights to sue T-Mobile separately for claims relating to the Data Breach or to continue to pursue any such claims you have already filed.”

Tmobile reps don't know of this as of yet because it's still in court to determine whether it's a class action suit or not. If it does become one, then tmobile will contact us so that we can then file a claim. 

 
maybe they dnt know but it’s real!