On February 4, 2015, Anthem, Inc, a health insurance corporation that is the parent company of some Blue Cross and Blue Shield brands, announced that a cyber attack compromised the personal data of up to 80 million of its current and former customers.

Since the announcement, Anthem has updated their information page, stating: “Based on what we know now, there is no evidence that credit card or medical information were targeted or compromised.”

 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) customer data is not affected.

It is important to note that Anthem, Inc. does not own Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL), which has been a relief for many customers in Illinois with dental or medical insurance plans through BCBSIL.

All Insurance customers should be alert for “phishing” scams.  

“Phishing” is when an online thief or scammer sends an email pretending to be from a familiar company or service.  The email asks the customer to provide sensitive information. One of the known “phishing” scams associated with the Anthem, Inc. data breach is an attempt to collect personal information by sending fraudulent email offers to sign up for credit monitoring.  These links often lead to websites that are set up to look like a trusted company, but are stealing private information for identity theft.

Do not click links or provide information for “online” credit monitoring offers from email.

While Anthem, Inc. is notifying any affected customers and offering free credit monitoring, Anthem is NOT sending these offers through email.   If you receive an email of any kind offering “free” credit monitoring service, do not click any links or respond to the email.  In general, consumers are advised against providing any sensitive data online (such as social security number, credit card information, address, or health information), unless the website is verified and secured with encryption.

To contact Anthem, Inc. directly with any questions or concerns, customers may review commonly asked questions on a special website, or call toll-free 877-263-7995.

1st Family Dental will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as needed.