A security breach has been reported by Anthem, Inc., which is the parent organization for Empire BlueCross BlueShield. The sophisticated external cyber breach involved current and former member data including names, birthdays, member IDs/Social Security numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and employment information. Anthem is reporting that they currently have no evidence that credit card or medical information (such as claims, test results or diagnostic codes) were targeted or compromised. Anthem is conducting an extensive investigation to determine who is responsible for the attack, and what other information may have been compromised.

Anthem has established a dedicated telephone line at 1-877-263-7995, and a website that features a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) guide. The  FAQ web site will be updated by Anthem as additional information is learned and released. As impacted members are identified, Anthem will issue notification letters (expected to be sent in approximately one week), and will offer free credit monitoring and identity protection services.  Please find more information regarding credit monitoring below.

Current and former Empire BlueCross members dating back to 2004 can visit AnthemFacts.com to learn more about credit monitoring and identity theft repair services provided by AllClear ID, a leading and trusted identity protection provider. All services are available for two years.  Details of the services, and instructions on how to enroll, are listed below:

• Identity theft repair services are available to Anthem members who feel they have experienced fraud. For members who have been impacted by the cyber attack, these services are automatically available and do not require enrollment. Please visit AnthemFacts.com to learn how to access these services. Members may access identity repair services by calling 877-263-7995.

• Credit monitoring services require a member to actively enroll because the member must provide their personal information and consent to have their credit monitored. Members can enroll at any time during the 24 month coverage period, and can learn how to sign up at AnthemFacts.com. Members who do not have access to the Internet may call 877-263-7995 for assistance.

• The free identity protection services provided by Anthem include two years of:

o   Identity Repair Assistance:  Should a member experience fraud, an investigator will do the work to recover financial losses, restore the member’s credit, and ensure the member’s identity is returned to its proper condition. This assistance will cover any fraud that has occurred since the incident first began.

o   Credit Monitoring: At no cost, members may also enroll in additional protections, including credit monitoring. Credit monitoring alerts consumers when banks and creditors use their identity to open new credit accounts.

o   Child Identity Protection:  Child-specific identity protection services will also be offered to any members with children insured through their Anthem plan.

o   Identity theft insurance:  For individuals who enroll, the company has arranged for $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance, where allowed by law.

o   Identity theft monitoring/fraud detection: For members who enroll, data such as credit card numbers, social security numbers and emails will be scanned against aggregated data sources maintained by top security researchers that contain stolen and compromised individual data, in order to look for any indication that the members’ data has been compromised.

o   Phone Alerts:  Individuals who register for this service and provide their contact information will receive an alert when there is a notification from a credit bureau, or when it appears from identity theft monitoring activities that the individual’s identity may be compromised.

PLEASE NOTE:  Members who have provided e-mails to Anthem and have opted in to receiving communications may receive an e-mail directing them to visit AnthemFacts.com to sign up for services. This e-mail is scheduled to be distributed the week of Feb. 16. This email, sent due to state notification requirements, will not ask for personal information and will not contain a link to any websites other than AnthemFacts.com.