As always, the cyber criminals are exploiting the Anthem hack to further their nefarious activities by sending phishing emails to the victims of the Anthem hack. Anthem Inc yesterday warned its customers to be on a lookout for emails targeting them to divulge further personal information and other details. The “phishing” emails to current and former Anthem customers claim to come from Anthem and advise recipients to click on a link so they can get credit monitoring.
Anthem Inc categorically stated that, “These emails are NOT from Anthem.” The goes on to warn its customers not to click on any such links or give out information online. The company notes that it will only make contact via mail delivered by USPS and that it will not call members about the data breach or ask for sensitive information over the phone. As of now there is no indication that the phishing scam is being perpetrated by the same people who breached Anthem but it seems to a long shot possibility as the phishing emails are being sent only to the affected victims as per reports. Receiving such an email after knowing that your Anthem account has been hacked can crack even a die hard logical and seasoned users to click on the links that offer you free credit card monitoring services. The fear psychosis comes into play in this kind of situations when you as a victim tend to believe in each and everything being pushed at your, and this it what the cyber criminals hope to take exploit. A privacy expert explains to CNBC why this particular phishing scam is more alarming than most: Because of the information the hackers may have accessed, scammers may be able to put together extremely personalized emails. “Whereas someone who might be vigilant about a general email, if they get one that’s very targeted to them, they’re less likely to be aware that it might be a phishing email,” he says. So if you are a Anthem Inc customer and have been affected by the breach, do wait for the company to contact you through USPS only. Do not believe in any of the mails that may offer you some goodies.
