T-Mobile has said that claims by hackers to have broken into its servers and stolen sensitive information are likely to be bogus.

The company is investigating the claim that its security has been breached, but initial results indicate that the data displayed on the security forum Full Disclosure comes from a stolen document rather than a full-scale breach of its servers.

"Regarding the recent claim on a web site, we have identified the document from which information was copied, and believe possession of this alone is not enough to cause harm to our customers," the company told USA Today.

"At this moment, we are unable to disclose additional information in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, but customers can be assured if there is any evidence that customer information has been compromised, we would inform those affected as quickly as possible."

T-Mobile believes that the document was not obtained by hacking means, but declined to say how it may have been released.

It is now looking increasingly likely that the offer of information by individuals claiming to have breached T-Mobile's servers is a red herring.

The announcement raised eyebrows within the security community since it is highly unusual for hackers to make such a public play for money. Such an approach brings attention from law enforcement and makes convictions highly likely.