G Harold asked:




Identity theft, an on going threat to everyone’s privacy and finances, has resulted in numerous calamities for hundreds of thousands of citizens. Many safeguards have been instituted to stop its spread but it continues. And now a new ID theft has surfaced which presents even more serious problems. Medical identity theft, the new id theft problem is growing at an alarming rate. Daily 1000′s of accounts of privacy, health and finances improprieties, as a result of medical identity theft, are reported.

Medical identity theft can create life-threatening problem, especially for senior citizens. For this reason, local and federal law makers are considering drafting legislation which will make the criminal punishment for medical id theft far more harsh than current id theft laws. New proposed laws will go beyond just slapping hands and firing employees. New laws are to include significant fines and sentencing the guilty party to substantial jail time. It is important to announce medical id theft will not be tolerated with a stricter message to deter this type of crime.

Like standard id theft, medical identity thieves steal the victims name, insurance information, and Social Security Number and use it without its real owner’s knowledge. Medical ID identity thieves have the potential to endanger not only the victims finances, but their health as well as they utilize the stolen information to get medical services, obtain fraudulent prescriptions, or, more commonly, to apply for credit.

Over the past ten years the economy for personal information has really matured. The institutions which had the most to lose from the negative reports about wide spread id theft, like banks and online merchants started doing a much better job of protecting data.

Today’s identity thieves go where the cap on resistance is the least and where the financial opportunities are the greatest. Consumers’ medical insurance information is their new venue and electronic medical records are the in road they use to take advantage of this new opportunity. Individual medical information is quickly becoming as valuable as their financial information counter part,” according to Scott Mitic, chief executive officer for TrustedID, an identity theft protection company.

According to market research firm Javelin Strategy & Research new report, data theft related to exposure of medical records rose in one year more than 100%, from 3% in 2008 to 7%, or 275,000 cases, last year.

Once in the hands of these crooks, there is no shortage of ways the hijacked medical information can be put to use. In a number of cases, employees with access to this personal information steals patient credit card information and go on shopping spree. Other cases, involve obtaining and falsifying prescriptions for abuse and resell and more seriously, use of a stolen identity to submit bogus claims to insurers and falsify medical records to support those claims.

“In situations where the intention is to defraud the insurance companies, the medical id thieves are usually more sophisticated individuals who are part of a networked effort. But the origin of the information theft usually remains low-tech and originates from person-to-person communication,” Mitic added.

Seniors, who generally use health care services more frequently, and may not be as aware of identity theft risks, have been the most likely victims of medical identity fraud. Their lack of knowledge of this fraud also make them more susceptible to the deceptive persuasion used to obtain their personal information.

A recent Medicare phone scam conducted in several states targeted elderly consumers by pressuring them to divulge personal details on the pretext they were being issued new Medicare cards. An official sounding organization calls on the phone saying they are updating the victims Medicare data information prior to issuing the new card.

One Medicare scheme, reported in the New York Daily News, involved a 72-year-old woman from Grahamsville, NY. She learned she had become the victim of medical ID theft when she began receiving strange insurance bills. The paperwork showed Medicare had been billed, in her name, for a pregnancy test, a prostate exam, semen analysis, and other medical services she had not had performed. Bureaucratic hurdles prevented her from stopping the fraud, despite that she repeatedly called Medicare to alert the agency. At the end of her three-year ordeal with Medicare, the total fraud in her name amounted to close to $50,000.

Consumers most be vigilant to prevent medical ID theft, both proactively and re actively. All information, including medical insurance information, Social Security information, dates of birth and PIN numbers should be treated equally valuable and never shared unless you are thoroughly familiar with the source you are giving it to. It is important that you check your medical benefits statements as diligently as you do your credit card statements. Also be aware you have the right to request an annual disclosure record from their insurer and do so. Medical id theft is growing. In the wrong hands, this information has the potential to endanger not only your finances, but your health.

Debra

Budda Oliver asked:




Car theft is a very prevalent crime across our nation and needs to be stopped. Auto theft is considered the attempt to take or the actual stealing of a motor vehicle that does not belong to you. Automobile theft not only causes a problem for the owner of the car, but also causes many economic problems. This form of theft can also be extremely dangerous if the thief who steals the vehicle decides to drive recklessly, which is often the case.

Even though we have law enforcement that is out there trying to put a stop to these devastating crimes, there are many things that we as citizens can look for and do to help prevent automobile theft. Being able to identify the methods that car thief’s use to steal automobiles and the reasons why they steal them will help you defend your vehicle from a criminal act.

One of the first precautions that you can use to fend off an intruder from your vehicle is to make sure that all valuables and possessions are out a plain view. If a criminal sees a purse, jewelry, CDs, sunglasses, electronic equipment such as an iPod, satellite radio, or CD player, or any other sort of item that may make them curious, they will be more likely to break into your vehicle. Making sure that these sorts of possessions are hidden under the seat, in the trunk, in the glove compartment, or removed from the automobile altogether will limit your chances of having your car burglarized.

Many people often lock their keys in their cars and need a way to be able to remove them from inside of the vehicle, so to aid in this problem they keep a key on the outside of their automobile. Driver’s that are prone to locking their keys in their cars often purchase a small, metal box used to house a spare key. The box containing the key is then placed on the outside of the vehicle so that the driver is able to regain access once they have been locked out. Most auto owners that decide to exercise this precaution so that they are able to get back into their vehicles do not exercise the same preventative measure when finding a hiding place for the spare key. Spare keys are often hidden under the front or back bumper, on the side of or behind a trailer hitch, or just under the car. While you could get creative and find a unique place to hide a spare key it is best to just not keep one of the outside of your vehicle at all. Most thieves are experts in finding these keys that give them easy access into your automobile.

Practicing these preventative measures can help to ensure that your car is one less that is stolen. If more citizens do there part we can help decrease the number of car thefts.

Clinton

Andrew Regan asked:


Many people will not experience a crime like identity fraud during their lifetime. However, the crime is not uncommon; most of us will at least know someone who has been a victim of ID theft, if we ourselves have not been. Because of this fairly high proliferation of identity fraud – particularly during times when the economy is tough – it is advisable that you get to know a little more about this crime, how to tell when it’s happening to you, and what to do about it.

The first step in identification is quite obvious, really. If you’ve had your bank or credit cards stolen or have lost them, you could become a victim. The same goes for entering your bank details on dodgy sites that do not have the small padlock indicating a seal of online security or have an untrustworthy URL when it should be straightforward. Prevention in these cases is easy: for lost or stolen cards, cancel them immediately. And as for online security, simply ensure that all websites you deal through are trustworthy and secure.

However, identity fraud can occur even when you’re being careful, and if you notice money disappearing from your account and being spent on things you know you didn’t buy then it is quite likely that you have had your bank details stolen. We all pay for this, eventually – in higher prices and increasingly expensive credit card terms, even if we ourselves are not affected by such crimes. That’s why it’s important to do your best to prevent becoming a victim to identity fraud.

What’s worse is that, although many banks are good natured about identity fraud, some will refuse to reimburse you should you be unable to prove that you did not buy what has appeared on your card. Therefore, insurance is important – on your cards and on other important possessions, like home contents insurance should the identity fraud prove to be an exceptionally bad case that can affect more than just your bank balance.

If you’re worried about online security, it may be wise to acquaint yourself with some of the most common fraud occurrences that happen online. This can particularly involve email accounts, which many trust unquestioningly when they should consider certain emails more carefully. For example, never give your details to anybody from another country claiming to wish to transfer funds into your account that you’d then pay back, keeping some for yourself. In addition, never trust any lottery win emails – especially if you never played in that draw! Finally, acquaint yourself with ‘phishing’ and watch out for it – it is the biggest email scam likely to succeed.

Identity fraud can be a scary and violating occurrence – so ensure that your cards are well looked after and that the websites you deal through have the https:// in the URL, as well as the security padlock demonstrating that they are safe. This could save you the stress, time and possible loss should you become a victim of this crime.



Dorothy