You may have heard in the news recently that a data breach at Anthem compromised over 80 million records. According to some reports, the personal information lost included names, addresses, email addresses, social security numbers and employment information.
This is different from many of the recent data breaches (Schnucks, Target, Home Depot, etc.) that lead to only fraud on a credit or debit card. The Anthem breach could lead to identity theft. With taxes due soon and tax-related identity theft on the rise, we should all take notice. >> Read Don’t Be a Victim: Tax-Related Identity Theft
Getting Back Your Stolen Identity
- Notify your financial institution of fraudulent activity on your accounts
- File an Identity Theft police report
- File a credit freeze with each of the credit bureaus (Experian, Transunion, Equifax)
- Ask for a letter from the financial institution to validate the charge has been removed from your account
- Continue to check your credit report every 3 months
Protect yourself
Hackers have already sent out phishing emails based on the Anthem breach to get people to think they were a victim and to click on a link. Do not fall for this! Anthem will be sending letters via the mail to those affected.
West Community employees will work diligently to notify members of suspicious activity on their accounts, but we need your help. Take the time to monitor your accounts and let us know immediately if you encounter a false charge.
For more information about protecting your identity and online security, view our Security Video Library.
