Medical Identity Theft and the Harm It Does

There are numerous ways in which identity theft is commited. Your credit cards could be fraudulently used, your social security number could be used to apply for a job, your bank account and credit record could be utlized for loans and mortgages etc. Then there is medical identity theft which involves the using your name in relation to medical activities.

Medical Identity Theft Examples

1. Cashing in the medical insurance ? you find yourself in an emergency where you have to be rushed to the hospital for medical attention. While filling out the formalities you are informed that, your insurance has just been cashed in and that your present procedure cannot be covered anymore under it. Stunned, you try to remember whether you had indeed anything to do with any hospital or medical procedure in the recent past and come up with nothing. You are a victim of medical identity theft.

2. You are hospitalized for some reason or other and your records show high abuse of controlled substances. You are put under observation and you are in danger of being reported and treated for drug abuse, when tests reveal that you have a clean chit, everyone realize that you have been a victim of medical identity theft.

3. You are a doctor and all of a sudden, you find yourself under strict scrutiny and investigation. Later you find that your prescription paper has been used to gain access to extremely dangerous drugs. It takes a great deal of effort and perseverance to clear your name from this type of a problem. You are a victim of medical identity theft.

4. A close relative is dead. However, you find that all of a sudden that the person is ?alive? since there are bank transactions in his/her name, and other signs that he/she is alive. This happens when a person manages to obtain the last medical records form the hospital where a people die, and by clever manipulation, the person can take over the deceased identity. This too can be termed as a medical identity theft.

Like these examples, there are many ways and instances where a person's medical identity can be stolen. It commonly happens when access is inadvertently given to outsiders to your medical bills, appointment cards and medical records by leaving them in full view of strangers. An example would be when you leave them on your desk. IF someone enters the room it will take them only a few seconds to note the essential details and then cash on it through medical identity theft. So keep your personal records locked away at all times.

Tags: commercial-identity-theft, credit-card-identity-theft, internet-identity-theft, online-identity-theft, social-security-identity-theft, Types of Identity Theft

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