Dear Member:
On February 4, 2015, Anthem Blue Cross notified LAPRA that the personal information of its customers and employees was the subject of a "very sophisticated external cyber-attack."
Hackers were able to breach a database that contained millions of records of current and former customers. The information accessed included names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, email and employment information.
Anthem said no credit card information had been stolen, and it emphasized that it did not believe medical information like insurance claims or test results were compromised. It said hospital and doctor information was also not believed to have been taken.
The F.B.I. is investigating the breach and people should alert officials to any possible instances of identity theft by going to www.ic3.gov. Anthem has also set up a website, www.AnthemFacts.com, and a toll-free number, 1-877-263-7995, to respond to any questions.
Anthem has announced that it will make Identity Theft/Credit Monitoring services available for two years at no cost to current and former Anthem members dating back to 2004. Click here for more information on the Identity Theft/Credit Monitoring service, including how to enroll.
Information for California Residents
California 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 scams, designed to capture personal information (know as "phishing"), are designed to appear as if they are from Anthem and the emails include a "click here" link for crediting monitoring. THESE EMAILS ARE NOT FROM ANTHEM.
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 have clicked on a link in email.
DO NOT open any attachments that arrive with email.
Anthem is not calling 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 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 monitoring and ID protection services.
For more information on recognizing scam email, please visit the FTC website.