How can someone steal your medical identity?

How can someone steal your medical identity?

Medical identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information and uses it to obtain medical services, treatment or drugs. It can also occur when criminals use your personal information to fraudulently bill insurance providers or government programs for medical goods and services never provided.

How hackers benefit from stealing medical records?

Hacking an insurance provider's login information and then selling it to a buyer, who can then reset the credentials to the database and take a victim's identity to claim insurance. This can effectively cripple a hospital's access to patient records and other critical systems.

What is medical ID theft?

Medical ID theft. Medical identity theft occurs when a fraudster illegally obtains and uses a patient's Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as name, Social Security number, and/or medical insurance identity number, to fraudulently obtain or bill for medical goods or services.

What impact might Medical identity theft have on the patient’s care?

There are two harmful consequences posed by medical identity theft. For one, if a patient's medical record is corrupted by a shady provider it could lead to mistreatment, misdiagnosis, a delay in care, or even being prescribed the wrong medication from honest physicians — an error with potentially fatal consequences.