How Medical Id Theft Can Hurt You

When you imagine of id theft, you in all probability think of someone impersonating you to steal your money. But there’s another type of identity theft that can be just as destructive – medical identity theft. This type isn’t as better-known but it’s every bit as injurious 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 attention they need for almost free.

The price to you is that now you’ll have phoney 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 responsible 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 belong to someone else.

You can get a free copy of your MIB every year much like getting a free credit report. 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 promotion code for Life Lock or a promotional code for Trusted ID.

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