Thieves Stealing Personal Data To Get Health Care, Prescription Drugs
The Wall Street Journal examines the increasing number of identity thefts linked to medical care and the difficulties it can cause for consumers.
The Wall Street Journal:
How Identity Theft Sticks You With Hospital Bills
In a twist on identity theft, crooks are using personal data stolen from millions of Americans to get health care, prescriptions and medical equipment. Victims sometimes only find out when they get a bill or a call from a debt collector. They can wind up with the thief’s health data folded into their own medical charts. A patient’s record may show she has diabetes when she doesn’t, say, or list a blood type that isn’t hers—errors that can lead to dangerous diagnoses or treatments. Adding insult to injury, a victim often can’t fully examine his own records because the thief’s health data, now folded into his, are protected by medical-privacy laws. And hospitals sometimes continue to hound victims for payments they didn’t incur. (Armour, 8/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
Medical Identity Theft And How To Avoid It
The fast-growing crime of medical identity theft is being fueled by the proliferation of electronic medical records and a sharp increase in data breaches at insurers and health care providers. ... Five things to know about medical ID theft and how to prevent it. (Armour, 8/7)
