Medical ID Theft on the Rise

Medical identity theft jumped 22% last year as more US health data becomes electronic and easier for cyber criminals to steal from doctors’ offices, hospitals and insurers.

Incidents of medical identity theft in 2014 saw almost 500,000 people fall victim to sham companies committing insurance fraud, or impostors seeking free medical care, according to a report released this week by the Ponemon Institute, a Traverse City, Michigan-based data-privacy research firm.

Resolving such incidents of fraud cost victims an average of $13,500 in expenses, such as paying medical bills racked up in their name or legal fees, the report found.

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Source: Bloomberg Business