Update on Anthem Cyber Attack, Free Credit Monitoring

Please review this important consumer update impacting Anthem insurance customers and protect yourself from scam Anthem email campaigns.

As most of you are likely aware, 80 million people throughout the United States – 1.2 million residing in Connecticut – are currently facing the threat of identity theft after a recent  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 you are urged to be aware of activity regarding such information.

Anthem will contact current and former members via mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service about the cyber-attack with specific information on how to enroll in credit monitoring.

Affected members will receive free credit monitoring and ID protection services. According to Anthem, consumers may sign up for identity theft repair and credit monitoring services — offered free of charge for two years. Information on how to enroll is now posted at www.anthemfacts.com.

Connecticut residents who may have been impacted by the cyber-attack against Anthem should be aware of scam email campaigns targeting current and former Anthem members.

These are not legitimate offerings and are either a scam or solicitation for services not approved by Anthem.

These scams, designed to capture personal information (known as “phishing”) are designed to appear as if they are from Anthem and the emails include a “click here” link for credit monitoring.

These emails are NOT from Anthem.

DO NOT click on any links in these email. DO NOT reply to these emails or reach out to the senders in any way. DO NOT supply any information on the website that may open, if you have clicked on a link in email. DO NOT open any attachments that arrive with these emails.

Anthem is not calling Connecticut members regarding the cyber-attack and is not asking for credit card information or social security numbers over the phone.

This outreach is from scam artists who are trying to trick consumers into sharing personal data. There is no indication that the scam email campaigns are being conducted by those that committed the cyber-attack, or that the information accessed in the attack is being used by the scammers.

Anthem customers are advised to:

Change their online passwords and to check their credit reports for suspicious activity. Report any suspicious activity on their credit report or other financial accounts to law enforcement authorities immediately.

For more guidance on recognizing scam email, please visit the FTC Website: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0003-phishing.

For more information about the data breach visit http://www.anthemfacts.com/ or contact Anthem at: 1-877-263-7995.

For information about obtaining credit reports and other advice for consumers visit www.ct.gov/anthemadvice.

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.