Medical ID theft on the rise

[lyger <lyger () attrition org>]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-ambrose0515,0,5443957.column

Watch out for medical identity theft
By Eileen Ambrose

We shred our papers and delete anything "phishy" to prevent thieves from 
posing as us and stealing our money. Now there's a new twist to watch out 
for -- medical identity theft.

This is when thieves use your name or insurance information to get medical 
treatment. Or, they might use it to buy prescription drugs or get 
reimbursed by insurance companies for services you never received.

That's not the worst of it. False entries on health care records mean you 
could end up being treated based on someone else's medical history, says 
Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum.

Dixon's group last week issued a report on this crime, roughly estimating 
that it has ensnared 250,000 to 500,000 consumers so far.

[...]

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