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Anthem Warns of Phishing Scams

Posted in Firm News on February 6, 2015

Anthem_Blue_Cross_Blue_ShieldIn January, the personal data of 80 million Anthem customers was hacked, making it the largest data breach in U.S. history. The hackers successfully made off with personal information, including names, birthdays, addresses, and social security numbers. Although there is no sign that they accessed any medical records, Anthem customers are now vulnerable to identity theft.

In the wake of the recent cyber-attack, Anthem sent the following email to employers who offer Anthem insurance to their employees, warning them to be weary of “phishing” scams that may show up in their email inbox. CNBC reports, “Advice for recipients is simple: Don’t click on any links, open attachments or respond to the email sender’s calls to action in any way. Anthem says it will be contacting affected individuals by regular mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service with specific information regarding how to sign up for credit monitoring.”

February 6, 2015

Members who may have been impacted by the cyber attack against us should be aware of scam email campaigns targeting current and former members.  These scams, designed to capture personal information (known as “phishing”) are designed to appear as if they are from our company and the emails include a “click here” link for credit monitoring. Our company DID NOT send these emails. 

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

We are not calling members regarding the cyber attack and are 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. 

Our Company 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. 

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

We have created a dedicated website (www.AnthemFacts.com) where everyone can access information such as frequently asked questions and answers.

According to news reports, Anthem did not encrypt the personal data of its customers.

 

Sources:

“Anthem victims’ first hack symptom: Phishing scams” by Kelli B. Grant, CNBC, February 6, 2015.

“Hackers Stole Data On 80 Million Anthem Customers. Why Wasn’t It Encrypted?” by Bruce Japsen, Forbes, February 6, 2015.