Feb
28
Prevent Medical Identity Theft
Filed Under General Interest
When you imagine of id theft, you in all likelihood imagine of someone posing as you to commit credit card fraud. But there’s another type of identity theft that can be just as damaging - medical identity theft. This type isn’t as better-known but it’s every bit as tough as a financial theft.
This crime is committed by someone using your personal information and insurance policy to get medical services for themselves. Perhaps they have a serious and ongoing medical condition like diabetes that has to be continuously treated. By using your medical insurance and pretending to be you, they can get the care they need for virtually free.
The cost to you is that now you’ll have pseudo information in your medical records. This data is stored in a central location called the Medical Information Bureau or MIB. Now any time you’re treated by a doctor, they will have false information to go on that could lead to a wrong diagnosis or treatment for you.
You could be on the hook financially for whatever your deductible or out of pocket expenses are on your insurance policy. You could also become uninsurable for life insurance or an individual health insurance policy because of ‘pre-existing conditions’ that you’ve never had.
Just like you can get a free credit report, you can also get a free MIB report every year.It’s a good idea to check out what’s on it so that you’ll always receive the correct medical care. An identity theft protection plan like LifeLock or TrustedID offer help with this type of theft. You can get these plans for a discount by using a LifeLock promotion code or a .
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