Anthem reports that 80 million people had their personal information compromised after health care giant got hacked. We are learning exactly what the hackers were able to get their hands on and the list is big. Full names, medical IDs, birth dates, home addresses, email addresses, employment records including income level. If you find out that you are one of the victims, there are some quick and easy actions to take that can save you from further damage.
What To Do If You’ve Been Hacked
Tip 1: Expect suspicious phone calls.
Even if caller says they are from Anthem, do not provide any account or personal information of any sort. Now that your phone number is out there, the likelihood of bogus calls to extrapolate more info and do more damage is higher.
Tip 2: Don’t click on emails you didn’t ask for.
Instead, go directly to known sites by typing address into browser.
Tip 3: Watch for bogus medical bills.
Examine every insurance document and medical correspondence in detail. Someone with the hacked personal details could impersonate you as a patient and rack up expensive bills for medical services you’ve never received.
Tip 4: File your taxes early.
Fake Tax Returns are possible since incomes and SSN’s were exposed. Someone could file taxes on your behalf and attempt to hijack a tax refund into their pockets. The earlier you file taxes legitimately, the less likely a scam artist can make a second filing.
Tip 5: If you’re info was stolen – demand the best credit repair/protection available.
Not all credit monitoring and identity theft protection companies measure up. Anthem customers with exposed information should demand the most comprehensive miami credit repair and identity theft protection. If Anthem won’t give you the best as most companies offering such a response do, then it may be worth getting protection on your own. Some strong companies include Identity Guard ($15/mo) and TrustedID ($18/mo) for whole family.
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