Medical identity theft is crime with 'no recourse for recovery'

Medical office

"Medical identity theft is a growing and dangerous crime that leaves its victims with little to no recourse for recovery,” said Pam Dixon, World Privacy Forum founder and executive director  “Victims often experience financial repercussions and worse yet, they frequently discover erroneous information has been added to their personal medical files due to the thief's activities.”

While security officials are concerned about the potential of hackers and terrorists to invade military, government and banking networks, professionals are now voicing worries about medical identity theft, as it is already making inroads that are creating problems for individuals and organizations.

People steal medical identities in order to obtain prescription medications, and for related reasons, but doctors have also faked identities in order to receive reimbursements for people who are not their patients.

Identity thief found guilty of stealing pay, credit cards from U.S.military men

GHN Editor - GREENBELT, MARYLAND - Andre Everton
Grant, age 27, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, this last week pleaded
guilty to stealing from the payroll accounts of U.S. military men using computer data.

Grant accessed a computer
containing the payroll accounts of U.S. servicemen, then used this
personal information to use credit and debit cards and steal identities.


The guilty plea was announced by
United States Attorney for the District of Maryl and,Rod J. Rosenstein;
Postal Inspector in Charge,  Daniel S. Cortez of the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge
Richard Zott of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Central
Field Office.

According to the plea agreement,
Grant had fraudulently entered the accounts of specific servicemen and
then changed the payee information in order to divert wage payments to
accounts under his control.  He did this using personal information
found in these servicemen's files.


 Over a one year period Grant also
used credit and debit cards and the fraudulent account to purchase items
and make cash withdrawals at a credit union in the amount of $9,481.03,
which was where he had set up an account to use for himself and to
transfer funds.


On March 31, 2010, Grant was
arrested at his home on Benning Road in Capitol Heights where Army
personnel found personal identifying information for the service
members.


While on pretrial release, Grant
again used fraudulent information to open a credit card and make
purchases using personal information of others.


His total theft amounted to
approximately $187,659 in losses to merchants and to the U.S. government
for funds diverted from the payroll accounts.

Grant faces a maximum sentence of
five years in prison for fraudulently accessing the payroll accounts; a
maximum of 10 years in prison for using the fraudulently obtained debit
and credit cards; and two years in prison, consecutive to any other
sentence for aggravated identity theft.


Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for October 18, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.