Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS

DAVID Y. IGE

GOVERNOR

CATHERINE P. AWAKUNI COLóN

DIRECTOR

GORDON I. ITO

INSURANCE COMMISSIONER

STEPHEN LEVINS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF CONSUMER PROTECTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 21, 2015

 

State Reminds Consumers to Guard Against Identity Theft Following Premera Cyber Attack

HMSA Members Who Sought Treatment Out-of-State May Be Impacted

HONOLULU – The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) encourages the 14,000 HMSA members who may be affected by a cyber attack against Premera Blue Cross in Washington state to visit www.premeraupdate.com for more information.

The security breach may affect consumers who sought treatment in Washington or Alaska.

Members may decide to take full advantage of free services offered by the company, including two years of credit monitoring and identity protection services at no cost to anyone affected by this incident.

The Hawaii Insurance Division and the Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) will continue to monitor the situation and suggest that consumers take extra precautions, such as reviewing their credit reports for signs of fraudulent activity.

The Insurance Division will continue discussions with Premera and HMSA to ensure the members affected are notified in a timely manner and informed of the next steps and protections offered.

OCP is also reminding consumers to be alert for scammers who may try to take advantage of the Premera security breach.

Consumers should also be on the alert for phony emails. If you receive an email from Premera asking for your personal information, do not provide it. Check with Premera or HMSA through the phone number you usually use or one from the phonebook, confirm that the contact information is legitimate.

For more information, HMSA members can call 948-6404 on Oahu or 800-459-3963 toll-free on the neighbor islands or the mainland. Phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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