We have all heard about the huge Data Breach by Anthem Blue Cross by now. Anthem says it was a “very sophisticated” attack but there seems to be some skepticism by security websites about how “sophisticated” it was. There were over 80 million records of PAST and PRESENT customers and employees exposed.
Lets now focus on how to protect ourselves!
NBC put out a great article on what to now to protect yourself. Below is the short version. If you want to read more about how to protect yourself, visit their website here.
monitor your existing accounts
The first thing you want to watch out for is someone using this info to trick a call center into letting them take over or transfer money out of your existing accounts.
Sign up for credit alerts and identity theft protection
Anthem has pledged to offer free credit monitoring and identity protection services to all affected customers.
Sign up for fraud alerts
A fraud alert cautions lenders and other to take special care to ensure your identity before issuing new credit.
File your taxes early
It only takes two pieces of information for a crook to snag your tax refund by filing your taxes early and claiming it for themselves.
Stay vigilant
No one knows when or where or if the stolen identities will be used so affected consumers will simply have to stay mindful… forever.
