SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - With millions of customers falling victim to the Anthem breach, it's likely you or someone you know will be affected. So what can you do if your information is stolen by hackers?
After her appearance on CBS This Morning, we spoke to business analyst Jill Schlesinger by about the new Anthem FAQ website that was just launched to answer immediate consumer questions.
"The first thing they're probably going to do is let you know what has happened, and they'll notify you and make sure that you understand your information has been accessed. They'll probably offer you credit monitoring and identity protection services free of charge," Schlesinger said.
If you think you're a victim and want to be proactive by trying to stop an identity thief from doing damage, here are some immediate steps you can take.
First, go to the Federal Trade Commission website and place an initial fraud alert. Then create an identity theft report and follow up by ordering and monitoring your credit reports, all of which can slow down or stop a cyber-criminal from stealing and ruining your credit.
Schlesinger says if you're a victim and your personal information has been stolen, you will be contacted.
"Anthem has said that they will in fact contact anyone whose data has actually been breached, and will do that individually. So you will be notified, whether you used Anthem two years ago or worked for Anthem or a prior form of Anthem three or four years ago. If your information has been accessed, Anthem will notify you personally," she said.