Anthem customers – take action

If your data was stolen, they will notify you by letter in three to eight weeks. But that’s too slow – thieves may strike before then. You need to protect yourself now:
• The first and maybe most important thing you should do: file your 2014 tax returns ASAP, and file them electronically if possible.
• Let your bank and credit card companies know your information may have been compromised.
• Anthem’s website (https://www.anthemfacts.com/) tells how to set up security freezes with the three credit bureaus (each bureau will each try to sell you very expensive credit monitoring services: don’t buy them, because Anthem will provide two years of credit monitoring service from another company).
• Monitor your credit, your social security accounts, your physician, the DMV, the FTC, your insurance companies, your IRA and 401K accounts, your brokerage accounts, etc.
• One of the best calls you can make is to the Internal Revenue Service. Explain that your information may have been stolen, and ask for their advice: I have always found the IRS professionals to be friendly and helpful, and my call to them about the Anthem data theft resulted in the most useful and thorough advice I received from any organization – so call the IRS to let them know and to ask for their advice.