ID Assist E-News May 2008

ID Theft Assist is pleased to announce that along with our whole host of identity theft services, we have now added an exclusive coverage, Medical ID Theft Protection.

As one of the fastest growing forms of identity theft, Medical ID Theft is defined as the stealing of someone's personal identifying information without legal authority or consent to obtain medical services or goods, and/or to make a false insurance claim for medical services.

Unfortunately, the devastating effects of Medical ID Theft go beyond financial. Frequently, Medical ID Theft results in erroneous medical information being transferred into a victim's existing medical records. Ultimately, a victim's medical record could reflect medical treatment or services that he or she never had. Relying on those false records, future health care providers could easily make inaccurate diagnoses, resulting in medical errors or delaying proper treatment.

In addition to the potential medical consequences to this crime, the staggering financial effects are the relatively the same that any consumer victimized by identity theft face: unpaid bills, serious blemishes on credit reports and harassing phone calls from collections agencies.

Medical ID Theft happens. And, it can happen to you or someone you know. Be sure to periodically ask to see your medical records with your primary care physician.

MOST RECENT COMPROMISES

April 8, 2008- WellPoint - Indianapolis, IN
Personal information that may have included Social Security numbers and pharmacy or medical data for 128,000 customers in several states was exposed online over the past year.

April 8, 2008- WellCare Health Plans Inc. - Atlanta, GA
Private records of 71,000 members of health insurance programs for the poor or working poor were accidentally made available on the Internet for several days. Those whose data was made available on the Internet included members of Medicaid, the federal health program for the poor, and PeachCare for Kids, a federal-state insurance plan for children of the working poor.

April 11, 2008- New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center - New York, NY
One of the hospitals employees has stolen 40,000 records containing the names, phone numbers and, in some cases, social security numbers of some of its patients.