Connecticut Anthem Customers Targeted in Phishing Scam

In the days following a massive computer hack at Anthem health insurance, now Connecticut residents who may be affected by that hack are being targeted by a phishing scam.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield issued a warning on Friday about a scam email campaign targeting current and former Anthem members.

The e-mails are coming from people who are trying to trick consumers into sharing personal data, according to the Anthem.

“These scams, designed to capture personal information (known as “phishing”) are designed to appear as if they are from Anthem and the emails include a “click here” link for credit monitoring. These emails are NOT from Anthem,” according to Anthem.

This comes two days after policyholders were warned about a cyberattack on a database containing 80 million records. It's a hack that could affect 1.4 million Connecticut residents and Anthem is warning anyone who receives the emails not to click on any links they contain.

Anthem urges its customers not to reply to the email or reach out to the senders in any way. They also urge people not to supply any information on the website that may open.

If you have clicked on a link in email and do not open any attachments that arrive with email.

“Anthem is not calling Connecticut members regarding the cyber-attack and is not asking for credit card information or social security numbers over the phone,” Anthem said in a news release. “There is no indication that the scam email campaigns are being conducted by those that committed the cyber-attack, or that the information accessed in the attack is being used by the scammers.”

The Department of Revenue Services is urging anyone who may have been affected by the breach to file their tax returns as soon as possible in an effort to prevent identity thieves from making false refund claims.

"They will try to file for and steal the refund before the real taxpayer has a chance," Department of Revenue Services Commissioner Kevin Sullivan said in a statement Friday. "The taxpayer will be denied the refund and it can take years to resolve the problem."

Sullivan said all refunds are on hold "pending further review" on Monday while the department adjusts its screening process in an effort to thwart fraud.

Our refunds are multiply screened for potential fraud but the concern here is that taxpayers may have unknowingly provided the requisite personally identifiable information in reply to the bogus email request to update information,” he said.

Sullivan warned residents to look out for emails entitled "Your Turbo Tax account: Update your information" possibly sent from the email address whiskers83@netzero.com. Concerned Turbo Tax users are urged to call 800-944-8596.

Anthem will contact through the U.S. Postal Service and provide specific information on how to enroll in credit monitoring.

For more guidance on recognizing scam email, check the Federal Trade Commission. More information on the data breach is available on AnthemFacts.com.

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