All too often, unsuspecting consumers find themselves the victims of identity theft. Less common, but more dangerous, is the growing trend of medical identity fraud. In 2003, roughly 200,000 people had their medical identities stolen, and often victims don't even realize they've been victimized unless they get a hospital bill for a procedure they never received. What's most dangerous about medical identity theft is that doctors might make incorrect diagnoses based on data from the identity thief's medical history. It may take years for a victim to clear his or her medical record of incorrect data, and HIPAA, which is designed to protect patient privacy, can work against victims since their files contain someone else's medical information. As the Los Angeles Times reports, when one woman had her identity stolen it led to a whole host of problems, including run-ins with creditors, issues with her insurance company and bills from the hospital for a foot amputation she never had.
To read more on medical identity fraud:
- read the article from the Los Angeles Times