LINCOLN – Attorney General Doug Peterson is alerting consumers of a scam email targeting Anthem members. As many as 80 million current and former Anthem customers may have had their personal information compromised after the health insurer was the target of a sophisticated cyber-attack in late January. As noted on Anthem’s website, the hackers gained access to names, birthdates, email address, employment details, social security numbers, incomes and street addresses of people who are currently covered or have had coverage in the past.

Last Friday, February 6, 2015, Anthem issued a press release regarding scam phishing emails targeting Anthem members that have appeared since the initial attack.  The phishing emails promise free credit monitoring service, and encourage recipients to click on a link in the email to enable a free year of credit card protection. The emails appear to be legitimate, but are not. 

Anthem’s press release notes that it will not email or phone customers with information on credit monitoring services. Instead, it will send letters to affected households soon. If you receive the scam email, do not click on the link, reply, supply any information, or open any attachments. 

The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office is in the process of determining how many Nebraska consumers were affected by the initial breach.  The Consumer Mediation Center at the Attorney General’s Office has already received one consumer complaint regarding the phishing email scam.  

If you need assistance or additional information on protecting your identity, or would like to file a complaint, please contact the Attorney General’s Office Consumer Protection Division at ago.nebraska.gov or 800-727-6432.