What is Medical Identity Theft and How to Prevent It?

Identity theft now reaches beyond finance, impacting healthcare. Medical identity theft, a rising worry, jeopardizes individuals, healthcare providers, and the healthcare system's integrity. 

To prevent this serious threat it is impordelves into the intricate facets of medical identity theft, exploring its types, causes, and, most importantly, effective preventive measures.

Medical identity theft also known as patient-related identity theft occurs when someone fraudulently uses another person's information, such as a name, health insurance information, medical history, and personal identifiers.

It leads to potential financial loss, tarnished medical records, and compromised healthcare access.

Medical identity theft can take many forms and the 8 most common types of this theft include:

• Direct Impersonation: Direct impersonation occurs when someone uses another person’s personal information to obtain medical care. This can include using someone else’s name, health insurance account number, or Medicare number.
  
• Proxy Impersonation: Deceased individuals' medical identities are exploited, allowing fraudsters to misuse their information undetected, potentially causing financial and emotional distress to the deceased's family.
  
• Electronic Health Identity Breaches: This occurs when someone gains unauthorised access to electronic health records. This can include hacking into a healthcare provider’s computer system or stealing login credentials.
  
• Prescription Fraud: Prescription fraud occurs when someone uses another person’s personal information to obtain prescription drugs illegally, posing grave health risks to both the victim and public safety. 
  
• Insurance Claiming:   Insurance claiming occurs when someone submits false claims like an injury in an accident or some illness to an insurance company using another person’s personal information.
  
• Medical Tourism: India's popularity as a medical tourism destination can be exploited by criminals targeting foreign patients' medical information and insurance details.
  
• Internal Medical Fraud: Internal medical fraud occurs when someone working in the healthcare system uses another person’s information to submit false bills for insurance. This can include doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
  
• External Medical Fraud: External medical fraud refers to situations where someone outside of the healthcare system steals and uses your medical identity for fraudulent purposes.

There are many reasons why Medical identity theft can occur and the following are the common causes:

• Data Breaches: Hackers targeting healthcare providers, insurers, or medical labs can steal large amounts of patient data, making it available for purchase on the dark web.
  
• Lost and Discarded Records: Unsecured medical records left in waiting rooms, dumpsters, or recycled paper can end up in the wrong hands.
  
• Weak Regulations: Insufficient data security standards and lax enforcement can leave sensitive information vulnerable to theft.
  
• Phishing: Scammers may trick you into revealing your medical information through phishing emails, phone calls, or fake websites.
  
• Medical Record Errors: Incorrect or outdated information in your medical records can create opportunities for someone to impersonate you.
  
• Account Takeover Fraud: Hackers who breach your other online accounts like email or bank accounts can access your linked medical information.

By actively protecting your medical information, you can significantly reduce your risk of identity theft, the best ways to prevent it are: 

• Keep Information Confidential: Only share your information with authorised healthcare providers, and be cautious about online platforms requesting your medical history.
  
• Destroy Documents: Shred or burn any medical documents that you no longer need. This includes prescription labels, insurance forms, and medical bills.
  
• Check Medical Records: Review your medical records regularly to ensure that they are accurate. If you notice any errors, report them to your healthcare provider immediately.
  
• Check Credit Report: Monitor your credit reports for suspicious medical debt or inquiries you didn't initiate. Ensure that there are no unauthorised accounts or charges.
  
• Review Medical Insurers: Choose insurers with strong security system and who are trustworthy, and be mindful of online portals with your medical information.
  
• Communicate with Medical Providers: Maintain open communication with healthcare providers to monitor and detect any suspicious activity related to medical services.
  

Medical identity theft is a stealthy yet potent threat that can wreak havoc on an individual's health and finances. By staying vigilant, safeguarding sensitive information, and actively participating in the monitoring of medical records, individuals can contribute to the collective effort to combat medical identity theft.