Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft About Medical Identity Theft and Health Information Breaches... 1 What is medical identity theft?... 1 What are the dangers of medical identity theft?... 1 How do I know if I am a victim of medical identity theft?... 1 How else can I protect myself if I am a victim of medical identity theft?... 2 About Identity Theft & Breach of Financial Information or Social Security Numbers (SSN). 2 How do I know if any my personal information has been used by someone else?... 2 Do I have to pay to run a credit report?... 2 How long does it take to get my credit report?... 2 What should I look for on my credit report?... 2 How often should I order new credit reports?... 3 Why can t I talk to someone at the credit bureaus?... 3 Fraud Alerts & Breaches of Financial Information or SSN... 3 What else can I do to protect myself from breaches?... 3 Is it okay to give my SSN when I call the credit bureau fraud line?... 3 Will a fraud alert stop me from using my credit cards?... 3 How long does a fraud alert last?... 4 What if I have a fraud alert on, but I want to apply for credit?... 4 I heard that I could freeze my credit files. How does that work?... 4 About Your SSN... 4 Should I contact the Social Security Administration to change my SSN?... 4 Closing Personal Accounts... 4 Should I close my bank account?... 4 Should I close my credit card or other accounts?... 4 Identity Theft of Minors and the Deceased... 5 I think my child, who is a minor, or my spouse, who is deceased, may be a victim of identity theft. What should I do? 5 What else can I do to protect myself?... 5 What happens if I find out I have been a victim of identity theft?... 5
About Medical Identity Theft and Health Information Breaches What is medical identity theft? Medical identity theft is when someone uses a person's name and sometimes other personal information -- such as insurance information -- without the person's knowledge or consent to obtain medical services or goods, or uses the person s identity information to make false claims for health care services or goods. Medical identity theft frequently results in wrong entries being put into medical records and can result in the creation of fake medical records in the victim s name. What are the dangers of medical identity theft? The most serious problem faced by victims is having someone else s health information in their medical record or health insurance records. To provide safe health care treatment, a health care provider needs correct health information for the individual being treated. A common problem faced by victims of medical identity theft is that they are charged for health care services that they did not get. How do I know if I am a victim of medical identity theft? Explanation of Benefits One way to know if you are a victim of identity theft is to look at any Explanation of Benefits sent by Community Health Plan or another insurance company. An Explanation of Benefits is a list of all the health care services provided under your health plan account number. It is sent to you after you or a family member gets health care services. If you have not been receiving Explanation of Benefits after going to the doctor, you may want to call your insurance company. Look for the following risks in your Explanation of Benefits and your medical records: Office visits you did not make. Health care services you did not get. Medical equipment you did not buy or get. Health information such as health care problems you do not have and medicines you do not take. HIPAA Rights Know if You re a Victim Another way to know if you are a victim of identity theft is to use your rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA for short. HIPAA is a federal law that protects health records and medical privacy. There are rights under HIPAA you can use to figure out or correct information if you are a victim of medical identity theft: Right to Access. The right to see or get a copy of your medical records from your health care providers and health insurance company. Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. The right to get a list of the times your health care provider or health insurance company shared your personal information with another person or organization. Right to Correct PHI. The right to request a correction of your health records held by your health care providers and health insurance company. 1 of 6
If you find wrong information in the records you requested from your health care providers or your health insurance company, you will want to ask them to correct the information in your file. How else can I protect myself if I am a victim of medical identity theft? Change Personal Identification Numbers If you suspect that you are a victim medical identity theft, you may want to tell your health insurance company and medical providers to change your member or patient identification numbers. File a Police Report You may also want to file a police report and keep a copy of the report for your records. A police report is very helpful when you are working with health care providers, health insurance companies, and creditors to correct your health records and credit file. Online Resources World Privacy Forum: For more information about how to protect yourself after becoming a victim of medical identity theft, please see the World Privacy Forum s web page on medical identity theft at: http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/medicalidentitytheft.html Identity Theft Resource Center: The Identity Theft Resource Center web site has example letters you can send to your health care providers and health insurance company to ask for a copy or correction of your records. Please see the Victim s Resources page of the Identity Theft Resource Center web site at: http://www.idtheftcenter.org/artman2/publish/v_templates/index.shtml About Identity Theft & Breaches of Financial Information or Social Security Numbers (SSN) How do I know if any my personal information has been used by someone else? One way to find out is to order your credit reports from the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. If you see accounts on your credit report that you did not open or applications for credit ( inquiries ) that you did not make, these could be signs that someone else is using your personal information without your permission. Do I have to pay to run a credit report? No. You can order your credit reports from all three credit bureaus for free once a year. You can do this online at www.annualcreditreport.com or by phone at 1-877-322-8228. How long does it take to get my credit report? You can view your reports online if you order them at www.annualcreditreport.com. If you order by phone, reports will be mailed within 15 days. What should I look for on my credit report? Look for any accounts that you did not open, especially accounts opened recently. Look at the inquiries or requests section for names of creditors from whom you haven t requested credit. Note that some kinds of inquiries, labeled something like promotional inquiries, are for offers of credit you did not ask for, mostly from companies with whom you do business. Don t be concerned about those inquiries as a sign of fraud. You are automatically removed from lists to 2 of 6
receive unsolicited pre-approved credit offers when you put a fraud alert on your account. You can also stop those offers by calling 888-5OPTOUT. Look in the personal information section for addresses where you ve never lived. Be on the alert for other possible signs of identity theft, such as calls from creditors or debt collectors about bills that you don t recognize, or unusual charges on your credit card bills. Any of these things might be indications of fraud. How often should I order new credit reports? It might be a good idea to order copies of your credit reports every three months for a while. How long you keep on ordering them is up to you. Identity thieves usually, but not always, act soon after stealing personal information. You might want to check your credit reports at least twice a year to protect yourself. Why can t I talk to someone at the credit bureaus? First, you must order your credit reports. When you get your reports, each one will have a phone number you can call to speak with a live person in the credit bureau s fraud unit. If you see anything on any of your reports that looks wrong or that you don t understand, call the number on the report. Fraud Alerts & Breaches of Financial Information or SSN What else can I do to protect myself from breaches? You can put a fraud alert on your credit files. There is no cost for placing a fraud alert with the credit bureaus. A fraud alert is a message that credit issuers get when someone applies for new credit in your name. The message tells creditors that there is possible fraud associated with the account. They must take steps to verify the identity of the applicant. For example, they may call you at the phone number you gave when placing the fraud alert. Call any one of the three credit bureaus at the numbers below and follow the fraud victim instructions: Trans Union 1-800-680-7289 Experian 1-888-397-3742 Equifax 1-800-525-6285 The one you call will notify the other credit bureaus to place the alert on your file, and you will get a letter from notifying you of the alert. When you call the credit bureau fraud line, you will be asked for identifying information and will be given the opportunity to enter a phone number for creditors to call. You may want to make this your cell phone number. Is it okay to give my SSN when I call the credit bureau fraud line? The credit bureaus ask for your SSN and other information to identify you and to avoid sending your credit report to the wrong person. If you want the credit report you must give this information to the credit bureau that you call. Will a fraud alert stop me from using my credit cards? No. A fraud alert will not stop you from using your existing credit cards or other accounts. It may slow down your ability to get new credit. Its purpose is to help protect you against an identity thief trying to open credit accounts in your name. Credit issuers get a special message alerting them to the possibility of fraud. Creditors know that they should re-verify the identity of the person applying for credit. 3 of 6
How long does a fraud alert last? An initial fraud alert lasts 90 days. You can remove an alert by calling the credit bureaus at the phone number given on your credit report. If you want to place a fraud alert for a second time, you can do so. What if I have a fraud alert on, but I want to apply for credit? You should still be able to get credit. While a fraud alert may slow down the application process, you can prove your identity to a creditor by providing identifying information. I heard that I could freeze my credit files. How does that work? A security freeze is a stronger measure than a fraud alert. A freeze prevents others from seeing your credit history without your permission. It is the strongest protection available against identity thieves opening new accounts in your name. Identity theft victims with a valid police report and adults ages 65 and older are able to place a freeze for free. Other individuals must pay a fee of $10 to place a freeze with each of the three credit bureaus for a total cost of $30. You can also temporarily lift the freeze for $10, if you want to apply for new credit yourself. For more information on the freeze, see the Credit Freeze and Fraud Alert page of the Washington State Attorney General s Office web site at http://www.atg.wa.gov/freeze.aspx or call the Consumer Issues division of the Attorney General s Office at: 1-800-551-4636 (in-state only) 1-206-464-6684 (out-of-state callers) 1-800-833-6384 (for the hearing impaired) Call centers are open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. About Your SSN Should I contact the Social Security Administration to change my SSN? The Social Security Administration very rarely changes a person s SSN. Possible fraud based on the use of your SSN would probably not be a reason for which the Social Security Administration would change your SSN. In most cases, getting a new SSN would not be a good idea. There are drawbacks to getting a new SSN. A new SSN would not have a credit history. No credit history would make it difficult for you to get new credit, continue college, rent an apartment, open a bank account, get health insurance, etc. To protect your privacy, you should limit the use of your SSN where it s not required. For example, if your bank account number or PIN is your SSN, you should ask the bank to give you a different number. Do NOT use last four digits of your SSN, your mother s maiden name, or your birth date as a password for financial transactions. Closing Personal Accounts Should I close my bank account? If your bank account number was among the items of personal information compromised in the breach, you may wish to close it. Should I close my credit card or other accounts? Closing your account will help protect you, if your account number was among the items of personal information included in the breach. 4 of 6
As a general privacy protection measure, you should always look over your credit card bills carefully to see if there are any purchases you didn t make. If so, contact the card company immediately. Identity Theft of Minors and the Deceased I think my child, who is a minor, or my spouse, who is deceased, may be a victim of identity theft. What should I do? You may want to contact the three credit bureaus and explain that you believe your child or deceased spouse is a victim of identity theft. The three credit bureaus do not knowingly keep credit files on minors. You can also contact the Washington State Attorney General s Office for help at: 1-800-551-4636 (in-state only) 1-206-464-6684 (out-of-state callers) 1-800-833-6384 (for the hearing impaired) What else can I do to protect myself? What happens if I find out I have been a victim of identity theft? You should tell the police right away, contact any creditors involved, and tell the credit bureaus. If you contact the police, make sure to ask for and keep a copy of the police report for your records. You may also report it to the Federal Trade Commission s Identity Theft Hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338). For more information about what to do, see: The Fighting Back Against Identity Theft web page on the Federal Trade Commission s web site at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/tools.html The Washington State Attorney General Office s web page for Identity Theft and Privacy at: http://www.atg.wa.gov/consumerissues/id-privacy.aspx You may also call the Washington State Office of the Attorney General Consumer Resource Center: 1-800-551-4636. They will refer victims to the proper authorities, assist victims with referrals, and help resolve problems with credit reporting and collections. 5 of 6