Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Breach Affects 10+ Million

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield reported a major breach of over 10 million customer records that also affected its related companies. The potential loss of data includes names, addresses, telephone numbers, Social Security numbers, financial account information and in some cases sensitive medical information.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and Lifetime Healthcare are providing two years' free credit monitoring to all potential victims. Potential victims are encouraged to contact the organization ASAP (excellusfacts.com or (877) 589-3331) to receive more information and begin your credit monitoring service.

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• Accept credit monitoring services immediately

• Call one of the credit bureaus and put a "Fraud Watch" on your SSN. You only need to call one because by law they are required to contact the other two to ensure they also set up a fraud watch on your behalf. It is free, but only lasts for 90 days, so set a reminder to have it refreshed

• Get a free credit report every 4 months. Each credit bureau is required to provide a free credit report once a year. So stagger each of the three so you can spot any fraud. Visit annualcreditreport.com to get started

• Watch for phishing scams; emails designed to look like they are from Anthem that attempt to get you to click on a link, download a file or enter login credentials. The criminals will attempt to deliver malware that can have a number of different affects. Online banking malware is growing faster than any other and this will help a criminal gain access to your financial accounts

• Watch for a noticeable increase in credit card offers. If someone attempts to get a credit card in your name, that information is picked up by all the credit card companies and they will send you offers

It will not take long for the phishing scams to start... so whatever you do, do not click on a link or open an attachment in an unsolicited email. If you want to check on the progress of the breach, go directly to the Excellus website directly.

The main goal of a phishing scam is to separate its victim from their money. Clicking on links and opening attachments can deliver harmful malware. Malware that can steal your online banking credentials or even log into your financial account right along with you is the most common of all new malware being produced today. Once a criminal is logged into your account, they can siphon money or set up a new payee and send themselves some cash. Most, if not all financial institutions offer bill-pay alerts and it is highly recommended that everyone take advantage of this service. Phishing and other scams are working... working very well. In 2014, over 12 billion people fell victim to some kind of identity fraud.