PBGC - Office of Inspector General

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Fraud Awareness Alert (2015-2) - Anthem Service Benefit Plan (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) Data Breach

Subject: Anthem Service Benefit Plan (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) Data Breach
Date: April 03, 2015

The Office of Inspector General is alerting Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation employee, pension recipients and the general public to 1) an Information Technology records data breach that occurred on January 29, 2015 at Anthem Inc. (Blue Cross / Blue Shield) - a major health care insurance provider, and 2) free assistance offered by Anthem, Inc. to data breach victims.

This data breach potentially could result in unauthorized use of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in identity theft scams. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Publication 800-122 defines PII as "any information about an individual maintained by an agency, including (1) any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother's maiden name, or biometric records; and (2) any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information." Individuals should practice vigilance in the monitoring of their various personal accounts (e.g. credit card, banking, etc.) for potential suspicious or fraud activity.

Anthem, Inc. reported the information accessed during the cyber-attack may have included names, date of birth, Social Security Information, and income data. Anthem, Inc. does not believe credit card or banking information was compromised, nor is there evidence at this time that medical information such as claims, test results, or diagnostic codes, were targeted or obtained.

Anthem, Inc. will be mailing notification letters to all Blue Cross/Blue Shield Anthem Service Benefit Plan members whose data was exposed in the Anthem cyber-attack. Anthem, Inc. anticipates that it will take several weeks for the notification letters to be mailed and received by all impacted members. The notification letter includes information on the free credit monitoring and identity protection services offered by Anthem, Inc. to impacted members. The web site for additional information regarding the credit monitoring service is located at: https://www.anthemfacts.com.

The PBGC employees and pension participants are encouraged not to fall victim to potential identity theft scams which may sprout from this data breach and offers these avoidance suggestions:

Scammers pressure people to divulge their banking and credit account information so that they can steal the money in the account or make fraudulent credit card charges. Always keep your financial account information confidential. Don't share it unless you are familiar with the caller/email source and know why the information is necessary. If you receive a suspicious call hang up and then contact your local law enforcement agency as needed. If you receive an email from an unknown sender, delete it without opening it.

Some con artists use Internet Technology to disguise their area code in caller ID systems. Although it may look like they're calling from one place or a particular business name, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.

If you want to reduce the number of telemarketing or unwanted calls you receive, place your telephone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. To register online, visit donotcall.gov. To register by phone, call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the phone number you wish to register.

If you believe you are, or have may have been, a victim of the Anthem, Inc. data breach, contact Anthem, Inc. via the listed means, and then file a complaint with your local law enforcement agency:

Anthem, Inc.:

PBGC employees and pension recipients may also contact the Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations concerning this ALERT 2015-02, or for more information about reporting suspected fraud, waste, or abuse:

We also invite you to visit our website at http://oig.pbgc.gov.

Peter P. Paradis, Sr.
Assistant Inspector General
for Investigations
Pension Benefits Guarantee Corporation
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