Luther Turmelle reports:
A spike in the number of fraudulent state income tax returns filed in Connecticut has led some Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield customers to believe that it is the result of the massive data breach the insurer revealed in early February.
Officials with state Attorney General George Jepsen’s office acknowledge they have seen an increase in the number of people who are Anthem customers now reporting that fraudulent tax returns have been filed using their names and other personal information. The Anthem customers believe the fraudulent tax returns are a direct result of the personal information that was taken via the data breach.
But Robert Blanchard, deputy director of communications for Jepsen, said that because of “the number and variety of recent data breaches that have occurred, we cannot pinpoint the origin of the potential identity theft.”
Read more on The New Haven Register.
The Attorney General’s office is correct to note that it’s difficult to be sure which breach of many recent breaches may have resulted in you becoming a victim of tax refund fraud. And for its part, Anthem continues to deny that the information involved in its breach has been misused. What they have not said, however, is what they would consider as evidence that any case of tax refund fraud really was due to their breach.
Personally, I’m waiting to hear any reports from people who obtain evidence from forums or the Dark Net where data are sold to see if there’s indication that Anthem data has been showing up for sale or has already been sold.