Medical identity theft is on the rise. Prevent identity theft and medical identity theft from happening to you by following these tips.

1. Identity
Theft
and
Medical
Identity
Theft:
Why
and
How
You’re
at
Risk
Identity
theft,
including
medical
identity
theft,
is
a
growing
threat
in
the
United
States.
Unfortunately,
too
many
consumers,
healthcare
providers,
and
businesses
of
all
types
and
sizes
ignore
this
threat.
The
latest
statistics
still
show
that
one
out
of
four
consumers
have
their
identity
stolen,
equating
to
about
11.6
million
identity
theft
victims
a
year.
It’s
also
estimated
that
some
sort
of
data
breach
will
affect
one
out
of
ten
consumers,
and
one
out
of
eight
patients
will
become
a
victim
of
medical
identity
theft.
The
cost
of
identity
theft
is
devastating.
Hackers
and
thieves
buy
Social
Security
numbers
for
just
$1.00,
but
you’ll
spend
thousands
of
dollars
and
countless
hours
recovering
your
identity.
On
the
other
hand,
a
person’s
medical
identity
averages
just
$50,
but
insurance
companies
and
the
patients
affected
could
spend
millions
in
recovery
costs.
All
It
Takes
is
the
Right
Data
Identity
thieves
only
need
a
few
key
items
to
steal
an
identity.
A
Social
Security
number,
name,
date
of
birth,
and
a
driver’s
license
number
can
reveal
everything
a
thief
needs.
Thanks
to
the
Internet,
identity
thieves
can
go
to
work
doing
reverse
lookups
and
other
searches
using
the
limited
information
they
find,
and
then
gather
the
other
data
they
need
to
steal
your
identity.
Thieves
have
several
outlets
at
their
disposal
to
steal
identities,
including:
• Dumpster
diving
(or
your
own
trash
cans)
• Stealing
mail
• Check
washing
• Stealing
wallets
and
purses

2. • Performing
telephone
and
email
scams
• Obtaining
death
records
It’s
Not
Just
Professionals
Identity
theft
is
not
just
perpetrated
by
professional
thieves.
In
fact,
relatives
and
friends
of
victims—and
even
healthcare
workers—steal
identities
every
day.
Cyber
thieves
are
the
most
common
in
data
breaches
and
system
hacks.
Everyone
is
at
Risk
for
Identity
Theft
While
the
elderly
are
common
targets
of
identity
theft,
they’re
certainly
not
the
only
people
at
risk.
Elderly
individuals
are,
however,
at
higher
risk
because
most
are
not
computer
savvy,
do
not
know
how
to
check
their
credit
reports,
and
are
more
trusting,
which
means
they’re
more
likely
to
fall
victim
to
scams.
The
second
most
vulnerable
group
is
children.
Children
have
clean
credit
slates
and
most
parents
are
not
proactive
at
monitoring
their
child’s
credit
report.
Parents
can,
however,
sign
up
their
children
for
CreditKarma.com
to
keep
an
eye
on
their
credit
profile.
Also,
parents
should
teach
their
children
to
never
share
personal
information
(including
dates
of
birth
and
Social
Security
numbers)
with
people
they
don’t
know.
The
deceased
are
also
at
risk
for
identity
theft.
Sadly,
thieves
look
for
obituaries
to
find
the
information
they
need
to
steal
the
deceased
person’s
identity.
Since
most
family
members
do
not
check
the
credit
of
their
deceased
loved
ones,
it
can
be
years
before
the
identity
theft
is
ever
noticed.
Veterans
are
also
at
risk.
Because
they
leave
the
United
States
for
extended
periods,
serving
their
country,
thieves
take
advantage
of
the
fact
that
they’re
unlikely
going
to
check
their
credit
report.
Lastly,
people
who
use
social
media
unwisely
are
at
risk
for
identity
theft.
This
is
because
they
publicly
broadcast
their
personal
information
and
leave
it
ripe
for
the
taking
by
identity
thieves.
Medical
Identity
Theft
Cases
Are
on
the
Rise
While
identity
theft
is
a
common
occurrence,
medical
identity
theft
is
growing
quickly
as
well.
It’s
estimated
that
5.8
percent
of
identity
theft
cases
are
medical
identity
theft
crimes—and
most
arise
from
medical
data
breaches.
But
medical
identity
theft
is
also
dangerous.
It
can

3. result
in
not
receiving
the
right
type
of
treatment
due
to
incorrect
medical
records,
which
can
lead
to
adverse
reactions
and,
worse,
death.
Preventing
Identity
Theft
There
are
many
steps
you
can
take
to
protect
yourself
from
identity
theft.
While
there
isn’t
a
100
percent
effective
method
to
prevent
it,
these
steps
are
proven
to
limit
the
likelihood
of
your
identity
being
stolen
in
the
future.
• Become
a
member
of
ID360,
the
only
identity
theft
protection
company
that’s
run
by
law
enforcement
and
recovers
your
identity
after
it’s
stolen.
• Shred
everything
that
has
your
name,
address,
and
personal
information
on
it
(including
junk
mail).
• Place
a
fraud
alert
with
credit
bureaus
so
that
they
scrutinize
new
credit
accounts.
• Use
a
gel
pen
so
that
your
checks
and
signatures
cannot
be
washed.
• Never
put
your
Social
Security
number
on
documents
and
do
not
carry
your
Social
Security
card
with
you.
• Review
your
credit
reports
annually
and
look
for
any
unauthorized
applications
or
accounts.
You
must
take
your
prevention
steps
even
further
to
prevent
medical
identity
theft:
• Always
check
your
explanation
of
benefit
documents
you
receive
in
the
mail,
and
make
sure
the
services
you
are
charged
for
were
actually
received.
• Request
and
review
an
annual
“benefits
paid”
statement
from
your
insurance
company.
• Keep
copies
of
your
own
health
records
for
reference.
• Never
share
your
insurance
card
with
anyone.
• Shred
medical
documents
when
they
are
no
longer
relevant.
• Do
not
take
advantage
of
free
medical
care
or
surveys.
• Report
a
stolen
insurance
card
immediately.
• Never
throw
away
prescriptions
with
your
name
on
it.
What
to
Do
When
Your
Identity
is
Stolen
There
are
things
you
can
do
to
lessen
the
impact
identity
theft
and
medical
identity
theft
have
on
your
life:
• Call
877-­‐ID-­‐Theft
and
speak
to
the
FTC
immediately.
• Call
your
local
police
department
and
file
an
official
report.
• Put
a
fraud
alert
on
your
credit
report
with
all
three
credit
bureaus,
and
then
freeze
your
credit
so
it
can
no
longer
be
used.

4. • Get
copies
of
all
three
credit
reports.
• Cancel
all
credit
cards
in
your
name.
• Contact
your
bank
and
give
them
copies
of
your
official
reports,
and
freeze
your
checking
and
savings
accounts.
For
more
information
about
how
you
can
prevent
identity
theft
and
medical
identity
theft
from
happening
to
you,
visit
The
Identity
Advocate.
You’ll
learn
all
of
the
ways
you
can
protect
your
identity
and
how
to
recover
it
when
it’s
stolen.
You
can
also
contact
the
identity
theft
experts
at
The
Identity
Advocate
by
calling
310.831.4400.