Anthem Warns of Phishing Scams After Massive Data Hack

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — After a huge hack, Anthem is warning about "phishing" scam emails that are targeting people it insures or has insured in the past.

The company behind Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance this week said hackers accessed records of about 80 million people, including their names, Social Security numbers and email addresses.

Anthem Inc. said Friday that the scam emails did not come from Anthem, but are meant to look like they do. The emails instruct individuals to click on a link for credit monitoring services.

Anthem, which is the country's second-biggest insurer, told individuals that they should not click on any links in suspicious emails as well as to not open attachments or reply to the emails.

Anthem said that it will send physical mail through the U.S. Postal Service with information on how to sign up for credit monitoring.

Anthem also said that it is not calling people, and if they get a call it is from a scam artist trying to obtain personal data like credit card information and social security numbers.

Anthem said that there's no indication that the scam emails are being sent by the same individuals involved in the hack of the insurance database or that the information obtained in the cyberattack is being used by the scam artists.

Anthem, which recently changed its name from WellPoint, covers more than 37 million people in states that include California, New York and Georgia.

Shares of the Indianapolis company shed $1.29 to $135.94 in afternoon trading.

If you are concerned that your personal information was compromised, experts recommend that you contact a credit reporting agency and place an initial fraud alert.

The Indiana Attorney General's office has also published information on frequently asked questions about the Anthem hack.