<March XX, 2015>
<FIRST NAME> <LAST NAME>
<ADDRESS LINE 1>
<ADDRESS LINE 2>
<CITY>, <STATE> <ZIP>
Dear <FIRST NAME> <LAST NAME>:
You are receiving this letter because computer thieves or “hackers” previously gained access to a computer system at
Premera Blue Cross, where some of your personal information was stored. Please read through this letter for details,
including specific steps you can take right away to protect yourself from possible identity theft. Please note that you
should receive a follow-up letter in coming days directly from Premera, providing you with additional information.
How this Happened
This all began on January 29 when Premera discovered that someone had broken into its computer system. Although
Premera believes the hackers’ actions may have started on May 5, 2014, their attack was not detected until January 29.
The hackers were able to access certain personal information that Premera has collected over the past 13 years in
order to process health insurance or health plan claims for millions of Americans. Premera has stated that it waited
until March 17 to inform our company and others about the cyber attack because it was advised that, before going
public with this information, Premera needed to take the time to cleanse its computer systems and take other steps to
try to keep the hackers from doing further harm.
Your personal information is involved because you received health care services from a doctor, hospital or other health
care provider who filed a claim with Premera. Even though your health plan benefits are or were directly administered
by our company, Premera helped process health plan claims whenever you received health care services in the states
of Washington or Alaska, where Premera operates.
What kind of Personal Information this Involves
The specific kinds of personal information that the Premera hackers may have accessed include your name, address,
telephone number, date of birth, health plan identification number, Social Security number (if it is or was part of your
health plan identification number or patient identifier), email address (if you provided it to Premera) and health plan or
insurance claims information, including medical information.
How to Protect Yourself in this Situation
Premera has stated that its investigation has not determined that any data was removed from Premera’s computer
systems, nor does Premera have evidence at this time that any of the data has been used inappropriately. It is possible
that nothing will happen to you as a result of this incident. However, you should be looking out for any suspicious
activity involving your name or account numbers.
Premera is offering two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection services – at no charge to you.
Specifically, Premera will provide you a free two-year membership in Experian’s® ProtectMyID® Alert (for adults) or
Experian’s Family Secure® (for minors) to help detect possible misuse of your personal information and provide you
with identity protection services focused on immediate identification and resolution of identity theft.
To access these free Experian services, please note the following:
1. Visit the ProtectMyID website: www.protectmyid.com/premera
2. Make sure you enroll by September 30, 2015 (you will not be able to enroll after that date)
3. If you do not have computer or Internet access, or you have questions regarding these services, please call
1-888-451-6558 and provide engagement number PC92585 (for adults) or PC92586 (for minors).
Continued
HA MEM
NOTE: A credit card is not required for enrollment in the Experian services. Once your enrollment in ProtectMyID is
complete, you should carefully review your credit report for inaccurate or suspicious items. If you have any
questions about ProtectMyID or Family Secure, need help understanding something on your credit report, or
suspect that an item on your credit report may be fraudulent, please contact Experian’s customer care team at 1888-451-6558.
Information About Preventing Identity Theft
Even if you choose not to take advantage of the free services outlined above, you should watch carefully for any signs
of fraud or identify theft by reviewing your credit card, bank, and other financial statements for any suspicious activity.
You may also wish to obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge to you, directly from each of the three national
credit reporting agencies listed below. You may order such a credit report by going online at
www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling toll free to 1-877-322-8828. The three national credit reporting agencies
and their contact information are as follows:
Equifax
PO BOX 740241
ATLANTA GA 30374-0241
1-800-685-1111
equifax.com
Experian
PO BOX 9532
ALLEN TX 75013
1-888-397-3742
experian.com
TransUnion
PO BOX 2000
Chester, PA 19022
1-800-680-7289
transunion.com
In addition, if you believe you are the victim of identity theft or have reason to believe your personal information has
been misused, you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission and/or the Office of the Attorney
General in your home state. Contact information for the Federal Trade Commission is: FTC, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW, Washington, D.C. 20580, www.ftc.gov/idtheft, 1-877-438-4338.
You can obtain information from these sources about fraud alerts and security freezes, as well as additional steps you
can take to avoid identify theft. You should also contact your local law enforcement authorities and file a police report
if you suspect criminal or fraudulent activity using your personal information.
Premera regrets that the hackers’ actions have affected you and your personal information. Premera is committed to
doing what it can to help prevent any other problems of this nature. As soon as Premera discovered the computer
attack, Premera began working to shut down any further access by the hackers. Premera quickly notified the FBI, and is
working with the FBI to try to figure out who the hackers are and how they managed to invade Premera’s computer
system. Premera also has hired a company called Mandiant, which is one of the world’s top security companies, to help
them investigate this matter.
Please note that there is no evidence that any of your personal information in our files has been affected in any way
– to our knowledge, this “hacking” incident was limited to Premera and did not affect our company’s computer
systems or records.
Our goal is to maintain the privacy and security of your personal information, and to help you protect yourself from any
harm due to the hackers’ illegal attack on Premera’s computer system. We appreciate your understanding as we and
Premera try to work through this very difficult process. If you have further questions about the Premera incident, you
may visit http://www.premeraupdate.com, or call Premera at 1-800-768-5817 (between the hours of 5:00 a.m.
and 8:00 p.m., Pacific Time, Monday through Friday) to speak to them directly. TTY/TDD users should call 1-877-2836562.
Sincerely,
John Glassford
President and CEO
HA MEM