ProtectMyID

What you can do to clean up the mess

There are a number of consequences for victims of medical identity theft. Unpaid medical bills will go into collections, affect credit history, and can take months or years to clean up.  Fraudulently altered health-care  records may result in an incorrect treatment or diagnosis.  If you happen to be a victim of medical identity theft, here are a few tips to “cleanse” you of the mess. 

1. File a police report

It is extremely important to file an identity theft police report once you have discovered you have been a victim of medical identity theft.  You will need this police report to provide to your health care providers and medical insurance companies to initiate a fraud claim.  Also, in the crime of medical identity theft, fraudsters may seek drugs from various health care providers. In these cases, a police report will be important to help you show the health care provider that there is a person impersonating you in this criminal act.

2. Correct fraudulent information in your medical records

Victims of medical identity theft take the time to clean up their financial records, but may neglect to get their medical records corrected. It can take some time to get medical files rectified, but this is critically important for all victims because you don’t want inaccurate information impacting you. If you discover your medical or insurance records contain erroneous information such as a medical history that does not describe you or treatment you did not receive, work to amend those records and to request the false information be removed.

3. Dispute medical collection accounts on your credit reports

Victims of medical identity theft often discover the criminal act by checking their credit reports. Frequently experienced results of medical identity theft are to find collection accounts for a hospital stay/visit or for a variety of other medical services on your credit report.  In order to dispute collection accounts proficiently, you will need to provide an identity theft police report and a notarized Federal Trade Commission ID Theft Affidavit to all three credit bureaus if applicable.