July 1, 2009: I got a call from this number. It was Anthem Insurance with an automated message regarding an insurance survey (mandatory) for those who have Anthem as an "add-on" insurance supplement to Medicare. The automated voice asks if you're the person on file who gets benefits/coverage, and if you say "yes", they give you a PIN number and ask you to call an 877 number to talk to someone. I didn't catch the full number, I think it was 877-669-something, and there is no option to have them repeat the info, so they will just have to call me back. I think you only get a call from this number if you don't send the paper survey they mail out to you. I mailed it in past the deadline given, and they probably haven't yet processed it, so they will follow up with calls, so hopefully they won't call again when they process my form. That's my experience with this number, as I was was just Googling it to get a referece to the 877 number which I didn't get all of, but no dice so far. Unknown if Anthem uses this number for other purposes also.
This is actually a legitimate call. An automated response system identified them as Anthem Blue Cross. I have my prescription drug coverage (Part F)through them. It said it recognized my phone number and first asked me to verify it was speaking to "Bonnie". It then said it needed to ask me questions to verify my insurance coverage and that regardless of my answers it would have no affect on my Social Security eligibility. First it wanted to know if I had returned my questionaire card they had sent me earlier (the deadline was July 1). It was to confirm basic information that I was still eligible for the coverage. (I was late sending it back). Once I responded yes, it said they had no further questions and ended the call.