Blue Cross Blue Shield Phishing Scam on the Rise
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) phishing emails are fraudulent messages designed to trick recipients into providing personal information, such as login credentials, Social Security numbers, or financial details. These emails often appear to come from BCBS but are actually sent by scammers aiming to steal sensitive data.
Common Tactics Used in BCBS Phishing Emails:
- Fake Account Alerts – The email may claim there’s an issue with your BCBS account, such as suspicious activity or a need to update your information.
- Urgent Payment Requests – Scammers may say you owe money for coverage or claim a payment failed, urging you to click a link.
- Fake Benefits or Refunds – Some phishing emails promise refunds, benefits, or changes to your health plan, requiring you to enter personal details.
- Malicious Links or Attachments – These emails often include links that lead to fake BCBS login pages or attachments containing malware.
- Spoofed Email Addresses – The sender’s email address may look official but often has subtle misspellings or extra characters (e.g.,
support@bcbs-secure.cominstead ofsupport@bcbs.com).
How to Spot and Avoid BCBS Phishing Emails:
✅ Check the Sender’s Email – Verify the email address carefully. Official BCBS emails come from legitimate domains.
✅ Look for Typos & Grammar Mistakes – Many phishing emails contain odd phrasing, spelling errors, or unprofessional formatting.
✅ Hover Over Links (But Don’t Click!) – Hover your mouse over links to see the actual destination URL. If it looks suspicious, don’t click.
✅ Never Enter Personal Info via Email – BCBS will never ask for sensitive data like passwords, Social Security numbers, or banking details via email.
✅ Contact BCBS Directly – If you’re unsure, call BCBS using the official number on their website, not the one in the email.
What to Do If You Receive a BCBS Phishing Email:
📌 Do NOT Click on Any Links or Attachments
📌 Report the Email – Forward phishing emails to BCBS’s fraud department or report them to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
📌 Delete the Email Immediately
📌 Monitor Your Accounts – If you accidentally clicked a link, change your BCBS password immediately and watch for unauthorized activity.
Always stay cautious—cybercriminals keep improving their scams, but with awareness, you can protect yourself from falling victim! 🚨
Data leaks in healthcare is the reason why millions are stolen, no security is the culprit
Most medical offices are prime targets for cybercriminals because they have little, or no security. In fact, in 2020 and 2021, 50 million people were affected by a data breach coming from their doctor’s office or other medical services. Orlando-based Cybersecurity company, 365 Defender wants to help the healthcare industry protect their patient’s data, and safeguard their businesses from online attacks.
“Phishing has become a major threat in every industry. The hardest hit has been healthcare, with about 88% of its workers having opened phishing emails on the job. To be fair, just because they opened it, doesn’t mean they fell prey to the attack. Still, having protection against today’s biggest threats are crucial for survival.” — 365 Defender CEO, Vlad Mazek
Service offerings range from email security for Outlook and Gmail, to email encryption software that can send secure messages to emails, urls, and text messages. The monthly fees are budget friendly with the cheapest service being just $5 per user, per month. There is no yearly contract commitment, giving medical offices complete flexibility to satisfy their ever-changing IT needs.
The need for data security is critical, and protecting patient privacy should be a top priority second only to healing them. To learn more about 365 Defender, and how to get started securing your company, please visit our website www.365defender.com. There is currently a 14-day free trial offer for any 365 Defender service.
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365 Defender is owned and powered by cybersecurity leader, ExchangeDefender. ExchangeDefender specializes in providing email and data security to enterprise since 1997. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida – the IT firm has just launched service plans for small business in hopes of keeping companies safe regardless of their size and budget.
Cybersecurity and Healthcare: what you need to know
Ransomware attacks on U.S healthcare organizations are predicted to quadruple by 2021, according to recent industry reports. Hackers are increasingly targeting healthcare due to the vast amounts of personal health information, which is considered 50 times more valuable on the black web than their financial information. The need for the ability to secure personal information is urgent, and requires immediate attention of the medical industry.
2022 CYBERSECURITY CHALLENGES
Malware, ransomware, and viruses
M365 application threats
Phishing attacks
Information protection
Misleading websites
Employee error
Account takeovers
Hackers deploy malware and ransomware to shut down and control devices, and even servers. Many healthcare organizations tend store health information without proper encryption leaving them vulnerable to external threats. Phishing attacks have been the newest and most successful method of cyber-attacks in which cyber criminals send mass emails from “reputable” sources to obtain sensitive information. Hackers link these emails to misleading websites to entice the user to enter their personal information, mainly their username and password to gain complete access, and commence in account takeover efforts.
OUR SOLUTIONS FOR HEALTHCARE
Thousands of Healthcare organizations trust ExchangeDefender to protect their data, and to keep their employees, and client information safe and secure. We protect your practice from malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks using Email Security, our advanced multilayered security suite. We secure patients’ information by enabling our Email Encryption which offers military grade security and prevents data leaks. Healthcare practices must be HIPAA compliant, and rely on ExchangeDefender for Email Archiving and Compliance. This service ensures compliance with long-term tamper-proof email archiving and unlimited storage. Our Web File Server protects your organization from cloud application threats, enables your team members to upload, manage, and share documents securely. The service is encrypted, and provides full reporting of all activity for accountability and transparency. Security tip: To increase your organization’s resistance against cyber-threats, start with powerful email security, add web security and data protection, and to ensure that you always have access to email even during service disruptions, our email outage protection.
Are you a medical office looking for IT solutions? We can help, visit www.365defender.com to see our services!
#1 Cybersecurity services for Healthcare
89% of healthcare providers have suffered some type of data breach within the past two years.
Got too much Spam in your inbox? Phishing attacks becoming more frequent? We can help you.
The healthcare sector mainly consists of businesses that provide medical services, create medical equipment, and develop the drugs that fill our prescriptions. It is a gold-mine for big data that contains sensitive information about patients like date of birth, addresses, medical records, and so much more.
We’re the original email experts. 365 Defender provides cybersecurity services to small businesses specializing in the healthcare industry.
365 Defender has been protecting medical companies against hacked email accounts, spear-phishing, and data leaks for over twenty years. Our healthcare clients rely on our security experts to keep their confidential data safe, and to ensure secure communications via email.
Services that we offer:
Email Security for Outlook and Gmail
Email Archiving
Email Encryption
Secure file sharing
DNS Management
Managed Email Hosting
Email outage protection
SMS Forwarding
IT Consulting