The victim lost much more than his financial information — his entire medical history was hijacked as well.

The victim, Ronnie Bogle, lost much more than his financial information — his entire medical history was hijacked as well.

Bogle lives in San Jose and had never visited Washington, but his criminal history, medical history and credit history said otherwise. Police say his brother Gary Bogle had been living as a transient in Washington and used Ronnie’s personal information to obtain treatment during expensive ER visits. He also used Ronnie’s name during multiple arrests for crimes related to drunken behavior.

The result was an extensive criminal record in Washington under Ronnie’s name and a long list of unpaid medical bills that destroyed his credit, leaving him unable to qualify for a credit card.

Beyond the financial concerns, medical identity theft can have deadly consequences. Vital information such as blood type, allergies and ongoing prescriptions can become distorted.

“It really presents a patient safety issue if we aren’t dealing with an individual as they present themselves, because a lot of information is in a medical record that we rely on to help treat individuals,” said Sydney Bersante of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma. St. Joseph’s was one of the facilities where Gary Bogle received care under Ronnie Bogle’s name.

A study by the Medical ID Fraud Alliance called medical identity theft 20 times more lucrative than traditional credit card theft.

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March 4, 2016 By Danielle Leigh, KING 5 NBC News