BBB Tip of the Week

Anthem Health Insurance has announced that a recent data breach included 8.8 million to 18.8 million people from non-Anthem health insurance plans. The included plans are in the BlueCard network, a national program providing health services to Blue Cross and Blue Shield members while traveling. For Washington state and Idaho residents, current and former members of Premera Blue Cross, Regence BlueShield, and Blue Cross of Idaho were possibly affected by the breach.

Also affected are members of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan that is part of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and Apple Health, Washington state’s Medicaid program.

Anthem believes no medical or credit card information was accessed. The data reportedly accessed included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and employment information – all information used for identity theft.

The Better Business Bureau offers the following advice to anyone who is a current or former member of any of the affected plans:

• Visit www.anthemfacts.com for the most up-to-date information on the breach.

• Anthem is offering free identity theft monitoring and repair for 24 months through AllClear ID at https://anthem.allclearid.com/ or by calling (877) 263-7995.

• Children whose information was or may have been included in the breach can also have identity protection through AllClear ID’s ChildScan program. Parents can get this protection at the website or phone number above.

Anthem will begin sending out letters to affected consumers from non-Anthem health plans starting this week, offering more information. Anthem is not emailing or calling any affected consumers.

Scammers are taking this opportunity to create phishing emails and perpetrate telephone scams. Don’t click any links or open any attachments from such emails. If you receive a phone call about the breach, do not provide any information and hang up.

For more information about identity theft, visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

If you are a victim of identity theft, report it to the FTC at www.ftc.gov/complaint, and the Washington state Office of the Attorney General at www.atg.wa.gov/file-complaint.

For more tips you can trust, you can visit the BBB’s Consumer News and Opinion Blog at www.bbb.org/blog or call (509) 455-4200.

By Erin T. Dodge, BBB editor