Identity theft has become a common concern in the increasingly digitalized world. Most people do not realize that the healthcare industry is becoming increasingly susceptible to data breaches and identity theft.
Last year alone, 10 million people in the U.S. were affected by healthcare data breaches. The questionnaires and forms that you fill out for your health care providers and insurer contain the information needed for a criminal to steal your identity. Health care businesses lag far (some estimates as high as 10 years) behind banks and credit card companies in protecting consumer information. Even large providers, like Anthem, have been victims of data breaches and cyber security experts are predicting even more health care hacking problems in the future as businesses with far fewer resources that Anthem shift their paper files to electronic medical records.
When an individual creates a stolen identity with a Social Security number, it can be hard to reverse the damage. The mechanisms that are in place for stolen debit and credit cards are not in place when it comes to social security numbers.
It is important to be mindful of what information you are providing, to whom you are providing it, how it will be stored, and what security measures the business has in place to protect your personal information.
