Are You Safe From a New Kind of Identity Theft?
Money Girl’s 5 tips to protect yourself from medical identity theft.Â
Laura Adams, MBA
Just when you thought you were up-to-date on staying safe from identity theft—now there’s a new type of theft to watch out for: medical identity theft! That’s right. Thieves can steal your personal and health insurance information to get prescription drugs, medical treatment, or even an expensive surgery in your name.
Here are 5 warning signs that you may be a victim of medical identity theft:
- You receive a medical bill for services that you didn’t receive.
- You’re denied health insurance due to a medical condition that you don’t have.
- You’re denied health insurance because your plan has reached its benefit limit.
- You find a medical collection notice on your credit report.
- You’re contacted by a debt collector regarding a medical debt that isn’t yours.
Protect yourself by never sharing your health insurance information and being diligent about pulling your free annual credit report from annualcreditreport.com. Always shred medical paperwork, insurance documents, and prescription labels on bottles or packages before throwing them away.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Laura Adams received an MBA from the University of Florida. She’s an award-winning personal finance author, speaker, and consumer advocate who is a frequent, trusted source for the national media. Money-Smart Solopreneur: A Personal Finance System for Freelancers, Entrepreneurs, and Side-Hustlers is her newest title. Laura’s previous book, Debt-Free Blueprint: How to Get Out of Debt and Build a Financial Life You Love, was an Amazon #1 New Release. Do you have a money question? Call the Money Girl listener line at 302-364-0308. Your question could be featured on the show.