Some Facts About Medical Identity Theft

Can identity thieves be using your medical records and health insurance information to get medical treatment and prescription drugs? Do people use your information to submit false bills to insurance companies? You bet they do and that's why millions of people worldwide have been victims of medical identity theft.

Medical identity theft occurs when your medical records or health insurance records are used by someone else to obtain medical related services. This could be the worst type of identity theft because it can affect you in so many ways. If someone steals your medical insurance number and goes to a doctor or hospital and receives services, possibly even surgery, you can have some huge problems. It can also mean that your private medical information that should be confidential, may now be public.

Whenever someone uses your identity to get treatment, this becomes a part of your medical history which will contain information that is inaccurate, possibly leading to improper treatments. That information could be a different blood type, misleading test results, allergies or perhaps even a diagnosis of an illness such as HIV. This can result in adverse reactions to medications or getting the wrong blood type in a transfusion. There are enough errors that occur in medical treatments already without making the problems worse through bad information.

Now that your medical history has been altered, the effects on your insurance coverage and premiums are also in jeopardy. You may have unpaid insurance bills from services you didn't receive. Usually medical insurance does not pay for all of the charges leaving you responsible for the unpaid deductibles and co-payments. Your insurance benefits can reach their limits so when you do need medical care you will find that you are no longer insured. Not having health insurance can be a big problem anyway, especially for the elderly and people who have chronic health conditions.

Other issues could be credit problems and legal issues. Suppose someone receiving treatment using your information is found under the influence of illegal drugs, that may bring the police to your home or business. You can be denied employment because your credit rating has been damaged from the inaccurate information that now appears in your medical history. The HIPPA laws make it very difficult for you to get access to medical information. Just like other types of identity theft that everyone can fall victim to, you can count on a long battle to restore your identity by yourself.

It's everyone's responsibility to protect their own personal medical information. Identity theft cannot be completely prevented and with the rising costs of medical treatment along with the economic downturn, I only see this problem getting worse. This is just another reason why it's necessary to have a plan in place that works quickly to minimize the damage and restore your identity.

Afraid Of Identity Theft? Why It Happens And How To Help Prevent It   Instant Steps That Every Identity Theft Victim Must Take   Identity Theft - Different Ways People Steal Your Identity   Identity and Theft: Solving The Identity Theft Nightmare   Identity Theft Facts   

Who Should Get Identity Theft Protection?

As you know doubt already know identity theft is a major problem in America. You may wonder if you are a likely candidate for identity theft. Most people are potential victims for this crime as you grow throughout your life exposed your personal identity many groups. You may have put down your Social Security number on a form, your address and phone number are easily found and other identifying information can be obtained through public records. so to answer the question briefly who should get identity theft protection, really everyone should as you can never be too careful.

However, if you are associated with an organization which has had its private records stolen you should get this option immediately. You have no doubt heard about this happening on the use where some cellular provider or credit card company has had their records hacked off of their servers. There will be a slight delay before many of these identities can be used, but have no doubt that they will be used for criminal purposes. It is a good idea to protect yourself from this before it comes by setting up identity protection.

Furthermore if you work in an industry that exposes your personal information more often than others, then it may be more important for you to get identity theft protection. Your level of exposure depends on how often your name and social security number ends up on contracts. So if you work in a job where you sign a loss of documents with your personally identifying information on it you should consider getting identity protection immediately.

Afraid Of Identity Theft? Why It Happens And How To Help Prevent It   Instant Steps That Every Identity Theft Victim Must Take   Identity Theft - Different Ways People Steal Your Identity   Identity and Theft: Solving The Identity Theft Nightmare   

How Do Identity Protection Companies Work?

As modern commerce has made the world smaller and smaller in many ways, your personal information is now shared with more and more people across the planet. This is not necessarily a bad thing but it can be if it is abused. Identity theft has become a major problem across the planet over the last couple of decades. As your information is sent from place to place to make purchases, apply for credit, etc. there are more and more opportunities for your identity to be stolen. So this spawned a new industry for identity protection. This industry specializes in keeping negative items off of your credit report which do not belong to you and keeping others from utilizing credit in your name. But how do these companies work? We will discuss that in today's topic.

Normally when you wish to apply for credit you must provide some basic identifying information and then it is assumed that if you have this information you are in fact the person who is applying for the credit. Typically this will be your name, last known address, and Social Security number. Unfortunately is very easy to obtain this information now and so further measures must be taken.

Identity protection companies add an extra step to the application process. Anyone applying for credit in your name must have a correct password or other verification step. If this information is not provided then the owner of the credit report, you, will receive an alert that someone has attempted to use your credit and the attempt will not be successful.

Afraid Of Identity Theft? Why It Happens And How To Help Prevent It   Instant Steps That Every Identity Theft Victim Must Take   Identity Theft - Different Ways People Steal Your Identity   Identity and Theft: Solving The Identity Theft Nightmare   Identity Theft Facts   Identity Theft By Family And Friends   

How Bad Is the Identity Theft Problem?

Armed robberies, car jackings and break-ins are serious crimes usually committed by a limited number of people. Identity theft is in a class by itself. A single individual can launch any number of attacks at anytime from anywhere and against virtually anyone.

The stealing of a person's confidential information is a major national and international problem. One of the best (and most recent) resources describing the scope of the problem in the United States is a "lagging" Special Report produced by the Bureau of Justice Statistics entitled, "Victims of Identity Theft, 2008".

More than 11.7 million people were affected by ID theft in the two year reporting period covered by the Department of Justice. The most commonly crime related to a person's confidential information was illegal purchases having been made on the existing credit card accounts of victims. One of the more surprising facts is that nearly forty percent (40%) of the illicit credit card fraud is committed by someone who is known to the victim.

More than half of the victims of identity theft suffered fraud against their accounts that totaled more than 17 billion dollars in the two-year time period covered by the BJS report. Current law and practices, fortunately, help protect consumers who detect the identity theft early and move to fight it. Doing so makes it easier to prevent additional losses.

A relatively small percentage of victims, seventeen percent (17%), actually report an identity theft crime to law enforcement. This basic fact is surprising because to assure the maximum amount of consumer protection that the law provides, an identity theft victim must file a criminal report with a law enforcement agency and an Identity Theft Complaint form with the FTC.

Twenty three percent (23%) of identity theft victims suffered out-of-pocket expenses that averaged $788.00 per victim. The damages caused to the credit ratings of victims and the time lost in unraveling the fraud are difficult to measure. The obvious stress and inconvenience are also hard to determine. The effects of an identity theft crime against a victim tend to last for a while and disrupt the victim's life.

The majority of the fraud perpetrated against individuals (53%) was committed against existing credit card accounts. The remainder of incidents was directed against bank accounts, telephone, insurance or online fraud. Thirty percent (30%) of the victims knew the identity thief.

Among the reasons that identity theft is prevalent is that it is relatively low-risk for the criminal. The actual crime(s) may already have been committed by the time the victim discovers the fraud. Complicating matters is that only a small amount of victims report the crime to law enforcement agencies as pointed out previously. Worse yet, a number of local law enforcement agencies across the country refuse to receive a criminal report related to identity theft. Those agencies are virtual havens in which identity thieves can set up "virtual dead drops" for stolen merchandise being delivered.

The burden of preventing ID theft is basically left on the shoulders of the individual citizen and private industry. The identity thieves know it and they look for vulnerabilities and opportunities. You can help deter identity theft by being vigilant with your personal digital profile and by reporting any identity theft fraud perpetrated against you. If your local law enforcement agency refuses to allow you to file a criminal report, insist upon filing a miscellaneous crime report.

Afraid Of Identity Theft? Why It Happens And How To Help Prevent It   Instant Steps That Every Identity Theft Victim Must Take   Identity Theft - Different Ways People Steal Your Identity   Identity and Theft: Solving The Identity Theft Nightmare   Identity Theft Facts   

Internet Identity Theft - Losing Your Identity Over The Internet

A person stealing someone's identity and robbing you off your existence sounds like some movie story or a story out of some fiction novel. But what was a fantastic story at one time is now a horror in everyday existence. The unlimited vast field of web and high technology is a playfield for cyber thieves.

Today hacking and identity theft is a nightmare. The hackers and con men are having a field day at your expense. It is not as if they are stealing some sweets from a child, it is a serious matter and more than that. These hackers are playing with personal lives of people; they are playing with social status of people.

How is one stripped of his identity? When another person impersonates as 'YOU', and does everything under the cover of your name, it is considered as identity theft. Your personal bank account numbers, your credit card number, your social security number and other matters related to your business or work is being misused by someone else without your knowledge, this culminates into identity theft.

The hackers and online thieves open up bank accounts with the help of personal information regarding birth dates, and numbers you use for social security. They make purchases and bills are accumulated in your name. The credit issuer is approached on your identity to change the address on the credit card.

The identity thief makes transactions in your name and has the bills sent to a completely new address. This goes on behind the victim's back. Phone numbers and bank accounts are opened and fraud checks are issued in the victim's name.

Let us see how simple it is to get to know everything about another person.

One is surprised as to the amount of information which is available on the internet about you. There are companies which supply your date of birth, residential address, address of your workplace, details of your immediate neighbors, your civil and criminal record. Your social security number, your bank account numbers are made available to people via net. West Publishers and Lexis-Nexis do such kind of work.

Many small companies also have information about you. Research works done by companies on net are great source of information. Personal information is just a few clicks away.

Any misuse of your personal information by the thieves is an identity theft. A person wants to impersonate as you for your money. Common reasons are like acquiring money with your credit and debit cards. According to the US Postal Service it is a fast spreading crime in America.

Identity theft affects more than a thousand people in the State in a day. This is according to survey done by one company. Secret service of United States made 9,455 arrests in 1997. Around 40,000 thefts take place every year. The country loses almost $2 dollars a year. Every year there is 50% rise in identity loss crisis.

Serious effects of these criminal actions lead a person to wait for justice for many years; people have to face prison walls for thieving in their names. Where you incur a loss of $5, you pay much more than that to get things right.

Afraid Of Identity Theft? Why It Happens And How To Help Prevent It   Instant Steps That Every Identity Theft Victim Must Take   Identity Theft - Different Ways People Steal Your Identity   Identity and Theft: Solving The Identity Theft Nightmare   

How To Avoid Corporate Identity Theft - Card Skimming

Many people think that corporate identity theft occurs only at a high level within the organization. However, it is important to note that identity theft can also happen at the cardholder level and that this type of theft can easily be avoided.

Unauthorized users can access corporate card information in several ways, but skimming is one of the more prevalent methods used. By understanding how to recognize and avoid skimming tactics, you can easily lower the risk of corporate identity theft affecting your company.

What is skimming?

Skimming is a type of fraud where the information from your credit or fuel card is illegally captured by an electronic reading device and transferred to a duplicate card. This duplicate card can then be used to make unauthorized charges to your corporate account.

Skimmers, the illegal device that captures your card information, come in various shapes and sizes. These are typically small and unobtrusive devices and can be molded to fit over a banking ATM or gas pump card-reading device.

How do I identify it?

Because these devices can fit easily over card reading machines, and because most machines are not equipped to recognize when skimmers are in place, it is important for the cardholder to be able to detect these devices before information is captured. Fortunately, there are several effective ways to recognize skimming devices.

Look for tiny hidden cameras in and around the card-reader device. Instead of being placed directly over card readers, cameras used for skimming can take snapshots of your card as it is being used. Unauthorized users can then determine your name, card number, card type, and expiration date from these photographs, and use this information to make purchases.

Feel the key pad to make sure nothing has been placed over it that might be used to record your PIN number. Once a skimming device has captured your card number and expiration date, the unauthorized user only needs to determine your PIN number before being able to use your information.

Apply a small force to the card reader. A skimming device will usually dislodge easily from the true card reader. Do not extend enough pressure to damage any equipment, as a gentle shake can often be enough to displace the skimming device.

Be aware of your surroundings and people who may be watching in an attempt to "shoulder surf" to obtain your PIN number. Shoulder surfing is a term used to describe when unauthorized users stand close enough behind you to detect the PIN number you enter onto the card reader.

If you are suspicious about any card reader, report it immediately to the merchant, and check with your card company to ensure that no vital information has been compromised.

How can I mitigate these risks?

Recognizing card skimming is the first step towards avoiding it. You can also stay up-to-date on the latest information related to card skimming and other corporate fraud issues by visiting the Better Business Bureau ( www.bbb.org/business ) and the FTC ( www.ftc.gov ) websites on a regular basis.

Your employees are typically the most frequent card users, so it is also important to educate your employees about skimming fraud, how to recognize it, and how to avoid it.

Finally, check your fuel card and credit card invoices frequently for unauthorized charges, and report any suspicious activity immediately to your card company.

Afraid Of Identity Theft? Why It Happens And How To Help Prevent It   Instant Steps That Every Identity Theft Victim Must Take   Identity Theft - Different Ways People Steal Your Identity   Identity and Theft: Solving The Identity Theft Nightmare   Identity Theft Facts