Medical Identity Theft

Unfortunately, medical identity theft has been on the rise in recent years. With healthcare costs on the rise, many are becoming desperate in their efforts to obtain the treatments and medication they need. This has driven some to turn to fraud as a solution.

Medical identity theft occurs when someone takes another person’s personal information and uses it to receive free medical care or prescription medication. Thieves steal names, social security numbers, Medicare numbers, and more in order to effectively prove to healthcare providers that they are covered under someone else’s plan.

This criminal problem has become such an issue that in 2007 alone, around 500,000 Americans fell victim to it. Even more astounding is the fact that this number has only gone up since then. In order to protect yourself from this financially devastating form of fraud, make sure that you protect your personal information and keep close watch over your medical bills and notifications. If you notice something unusual or a charge for treatment you didn’t receive, contact your insurance company immediately.

Common Fraud Schemes

There are very strict laws and regulations that aim to protect the privacy of all patients. Despite these, however, some thieves are still able to evade the system and carry out their ID theft schemes. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Service, some of the more common tactics that are used include the following:

• Approaching you in a public space (mall, parking lot) and offering you some sort of service in exchange for your Medicare number
• Calling you, claiming to be conducting a health-related survey, and asking for your Medicare number
• Calling you, claiming to be telemarketers that work for Medicare or Social Security and are asking for phone or internet payments

With regards to the information that is stored in the computer system at your insurance agency and doctors’ offices, there isn’t much you can do. You can only trust that they have the correct computer and networking protection the keep wanted intruders out of their systems.