Q. Another company data breach; how does a consumer protect against this fraud?
A. Unfortunately, you are correct. Tens of millions of Americans could be victims of the latest corporate data breach, this one at Anthem Insurance. Unknown hackers apparently stole personal identifying information from current and former Anthem customers, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth and other information that can be used for identity theft.
Jim WinsettAnthem has set up a separate website with information on the breach, but the Better Business Bureau recommends that consumers always go to a company’s main website first and follow links from there. Scammers often take advantage of data breaches and subsequent confusion to set up spoof websites and send phishing emails.
BBB offers the following suggestions for consumers concerned that their personal information has been stolen (also available at bbb.org/breach):
* Do not take a wait-and-see approach as you may have done with breaches involving credit card data. You must act quickly. Breaches involving Social Security numbers have the potential to be far more detrimental to victims, and the damage can be difficult to repair.