February 9, 2015

What You Need to Know About the Anthem Breach

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80 million people throughout the United States – 1.2 million of whom reside in Connecticut – are currently facing the threat of identity theft after a major security breach at Anthem health insurance.

Information stolen from current and former customers includes names, dates of birth, medical IDs, Social Security numbers, street addresses, e-mail addresses, employment information and some income data. It does not seem that any medical records or credit card numbers have been exposed, but I urge you to be aware of activity regarding such information.

Please also be on the lookout for email spam regarding this event. I am assured by Anthem that it is not a legitimate offering and is either a scam or solicitation for services not approved by Anthem.

Anthem is currently doing all they can to continue investigating this attack, especially to determine which members’ personal information was accessed. They advise us that there is currently no indication that any of their members’ personal information has been misused. However, in that unfortunate event, all impacted Anthem members will be offered identity theft monitoring and credit monitoring services for two years. Anthem will soon provide affected members with information on how to enroll in this protection.

In the meantime, here’s what you can do to protect yourself in the coming months according to ABC News:

Request a (renewable) 90-day credit alert or get a free credit report once a year
Consider placing a full freeze on your credit
Check your bills closely for irregularities
Consider signing up for any monitoring Anthem, or other hacked businesses, offer for free
Submit a report through the FTC website: www.consumer.ftc.gov. Click the “privacy & identity” tab, which will walk you through creating an affidavit you can show to creditors
Keep copies of all reports and correspondence. Use certified mail to get delivery receipts, and keep notes on every phone call
Be skeptical of notices that you have won a “free prize”
Hang up the phone if you get a call asking for account numbers or other information. Scammers may also send texts, so don’t click on any links from numbers you don’t know

Additional Resources:

www.anthemfacts.com which includes a link to Frequently Asked Questions
Attorney General George Jepsen and state Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan A. Harris are advising all Connecticut residents who may be affected by the breach to report any suspicious activity on their credit report or other financial accounts to law enforcement immediately. Suspicious activity can also be reported to the Office of the Attorney General’s Privacy Task Force by emailing attorney.general@ct.gov or calling 860-808-5318
State Department of Consumer Protection: http://www.ct.gov/dcp/cwp/view.asp?a=4302&q=560456
Federal Trade Commission: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0275-place-fraud-alert