Recent events have raised concerns for Aflac customers, as the insurance giant has reported a significant data breach. Earlier this month, the company fell victim to a cyber attack that compromised sensitive information belonging to an unspecified number of its roughly 50 million policyholders.

This incident adds Aflac to a growing list of insurance and healthcare organizations that have been targeted in similar cyber incidents. The same group suspected in this attack is allegedly linked to breaches at Philadelphia Insurance Companies and Erie Indemnity. Over the past year, notable security incidents have also been reported at Landmark Admin and Blue Shield of California, among others.

Understanding the Aflac Data Breach

Aflac has been relatively reticent about the specifics of the breach that transpired on June 12. What is known is that the “unauthorized entity” leveraged social engineering tactics to penetrate the firm’s network. Such tactics might have included deceiving customer support teams into resetting passwords and circumventing multi-factor authentication, according to a cybersecurity analyst interviewed by Reuters.

The breach lasted for several hours and did not involve ransomware. The compromised data could encompass claim details, medical data, Social Security numbers, and other “personal information” of Aflac’s clients, beneficiaries, agents, and employees.

Steps to Take if Your Data is Affected

As Aflac has yet to ascertain the number of impacted customers, it appears that individual notifications are not being issued at this time. However, Aflac policyholders are encouraged to reach out to the company’s call center, where they can obtain 24 months of complimentary credit monitoring, identity theft protection, and specialized Medical Shield services focusing on healthcare-related data at risk. According to Aflac’s announcement regarding the breach, all customers who call are eligible for these protective services.

The call center is operational from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET through the end of June. The contact number is 855-361-0305.

In addition, the recommended precautions following any data breach are important to follow: Monitor your credit report (you can request a free copy weekly) and review your financial statements diligently—whether or not credit monitoring and identity theft protection are in place. Consider freezing your credit and placing a fraud alert on your account.

Stay vigilant against unexpected communications that may be phishing scams. Do not click on any links, open attachments, or otherwise engage with any texts, emails, or phone calls from unknown sources. Exercise caution if you receive any messages specifically concerning your Aflac account: never share sensitive details with anyone contacting you unexpectedly, and always log in directly via the company’s official website to access your account.