Six tips for protecting yourself against medical identity theft

Medical identity theft happens when someone steals your personal or health insurance information. They use it to get medical care, prescriptions, insurance payouts, even surgery. It’s a lot like regular identify theft. It can damage your credit rating, cost you money and take time to clear up. Being a victim can even hurt your chances to get some jobs.

Click here to learn tips from MIFA Founding Member Aetna.

Federal Trade Commission Medical Identity Theft Consumer Information

Click here to learn how to:

• Detect Medical Identity Theft
• Correct Mistakes in Your Medical Records
• Protect Your Medical Information
• Check for Other Identity Theft Problems

“Pass It On!” Learn more about how YOU can help prevent identity theft with the FTC’s “Pass It On!” campaign. Topics include:

• Identity Theft
• Health Care Scams
• Imposter Scams
• Charity Fraud
• Paying Too Much
• “You’ve Won” Scams

Contact the FTC’s ID Theft Hotline.

Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medical ID Theft/Fraud Information

Medical identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information (like your name, Social Security number, or Medicare number) to obtain medical care, buy drugs, or submit fake billings to Medicare in your name. Medical identity theft can disrupt your life, damage your credit rating, and waste taxpayer dollars. The damage can be life-threatening to you if wrong information ends up in your personal medical records.

Click here to learn more or read the OIG’s Medical Identity Theft brochure.
Contact HHS’s Office of Inspector General Hotline.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: “More Than a Number” Identity Protection Program

“More Than a Number” is the VA’s new campaign to educate Veterans about identity theft prevention. The campaign references personally identifiable information (PII) that VA encourages Veterans to protect.

Toll-free Identity Theft Help Line number 1-855-578-5492, for one-on-one victim assistance. The Help Line is open Monday through Friday, 8:00AM-8:00AM, Eastern Time, with voicemail available for after-hours calls. TTY and bilingual assistance are also available.

Click here for identity theft resources for Veterans and their beneficiaries, including educational information and interactive multimedia, as well as links to other online identity theft prevention resources.

Click here to read FAQs, learn more about the “More Than a Number” program and how to report an ID theft incident to the VA.

AARP Medical Identity Theft Fact Sheet

Click here to see all AARP Health Care Fraud Fact Sheets.

Identity Theft Resource Center Help for Medical ID Theft Victims

Click here to see all ITRC ID theft victim resources.

Consumer Federation of America ID Theft Info

Click here for consumer and victim information.

FraudAvengers

FraudAvengers was founded by the Foundation for Payments Fraud Abatement & Activism (FPF2A), a not-for-profit group of financial fraud prevention professionals. FPF2A created FraudAvengers.org to add “fraud prevention” to the public’s understanding of “financial literacy”; to empower individuals to protect themselves and the ones they care about from financial abuse; and to impede criminals who seek to benefit from payments fraud. FraudAvengers is a community of like-minded fraud activists, including benefactors, sponsors, guest bloggers, link partners and concerned individuals, which was created to:

• Help consumers recognize their personal responsibility for protecting their financial information
• Educate individuals about the latest fraud scams and what they can do to protect themselves
• Offer a place to post questions and discuss ideas and concerns about payments fraud
• Provide links to other resources for fraud victims to obtain additional assistance
• Inspire individuals to become active in a national “anti-fraud” movement

Click here to learn more and join the community of anti-fraud activists.

First Aid for Medical Identity Theft: Tips for Consumers

The California Attorney General’s Office has provided an information sheet for consumers that provides tips on what to do in response to the various signs of possible medical identity theft. Click here to download the brochure.