HammadamBISMARCK, N.D.  (CSi) —Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm announced he was informed by Anthem Inc. (Anthem) that over 27,000 North Dakotans were directly impacted by its recent data security breach. Anthem has indicated it will be sending a letter to anyone affected, so people should closely watch their mail for any correspondence from Anthem.

“I remain extremely concerned about this security breach and encourage North Dakotans to pay attention to these communications,” said Commissioner Adam Hamm. “I continue to have weekly discussions with Anthem to pursue appropriate protection for consumers.”

The Insurance Department, with its counterparts in Indiana, California, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire and South Carolina, is leading a multistate examination of the Anthem companies.

Information containing individual and dependent names, addresses, social security numbers and birth dates was compromised. Scam artists, identification thieves and other criminals can use this type of information for many different crimes and for many years.

Any North Dakotans concerned about this security breach should review the steps for protecting their personal information by visiting the Insurance Department’s website athttp://www.nd.gov/ndins/Communications/news/News315.

The North Dakota Insurance Department can also be contacted for assistance at 1-800-247-0560 or insurance@nd.gov