Because I write so much about identity theft I read a lot about it, too. And what I’m seeing lately is a lot of medical identity theft.

The story I saw today came from the Baltimore Sun: Christel Ebony Norwood stole the names, birth dates and Social Security numbers of at least 49 people from two medical facilities where she worked. She use it to get a fraudulent driver’s license and change the mailing address of her victims so she got their mail and they didn’t see the bills she was running up in their names. Among her purchases was a 2002 Mercedes-Benz she financed for $35,560.

Last week the big medical identity theft news from the LA Times was about a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center former employee who stole the personal information of at least 1,000 patients and parlayed it into fraudulent insurance claims worth at least $69,000. That’s a nice chunk of change, but he might have made additional money by selling that information to others.

One of the biggest identity theft stories of 2008 had to be the one about an extortion attempt involving Express Scripts and a few million of their customers. The extortionist added credibility to their ransom request by adding the details of 75 of the company’s members, including their names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and even some prescription info. The message was “Pay up, or we publish similar information on millions of your customers on the Internet.”

Visit LifeLock.com for information on how they can protect your identity, your finances and your good name. Need LifeLock discounts? Use the LifeLock discount code Defense to receive a huge discount on service.

Because I write so much about identity theft I read a lot about it, too. And what I’m seeing lately is a lot of medical identity theft.

The story I saw today came from the Baltimore Sun: Christel Ebony Norwood stole the names, birth dates and Social Security numbers of at least 49 people from two medical facilities where she worked. She use it to get a fraudulent driver’s license and change the mailing address of her victims so she got their mail and they didn’t see the bills she was running up in their names. Among her purchases was a 2002 Mercedes-Benz she financed for $35,560.

Last week the big medical identity theft news from the LA Times was about a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center former employee who stole the personal information of at least 1,000 patients and parlayed it into fraudulent insurance claims worth at least $69,000. That’s a nice chunk of change, but he might have made additional money by selling that information to others.

One of the biggest identity theft stories of 2008 had to be the one about an extortion attempt involving Express Scripts and a few million of their customers. The extortionist added credibility to their ransom request by adding the details of 75 of the company’s members, including their names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and even some prescription info. The message was “Pay up, or we publish similar information on millions of your customers on the Internet.”

Visit LifeLock.com for information on how they can protect your identity, your finances and your good name. Use the LifeLock discount code Defense and receive a discount on service.  You can cancel or enroll again with the same LifeLock discount code and pay just $9 a month for total protection.

Medical identity theft: The crime that may kill you

Identity theft in any form can be devastating. But, medical ID theft is the most damaging and dangerous of all.

Most of the 250,000 people who fell victim to medical identity theft in 2006 usually learned they were victims just like others; for most people it’s when the bills come rolling in and the debt collectors start calling that people find out someone else is using their identity. The big difference is who’s doing the billing, and what they’re billing for.

The cases are shocking. There’s the one where a woman was billed for having her foot amputated, for instance. Or the one where a man’s insurance company rejected his claim for medical bills associated with his appendectomy. That’s a surgery they’ll only pay for once.

Besides the financial toll—and more dangerous—are the medical risks that come with the crime. When someone else uses your identity to receive medical care, his or her information becomes part of your medical record. Receiving the wrong blood type can kill you. Being given a drug you’re allergic to can kill you. Being refused medical treatment altogether because your medical benefits have reached the cap can kill you, too. (more…)