Recognize
Has someone stolen or gained access to your Medicare/Medicaid or private health insurance ID or card or records? Cybercriminals will use this information to get medical services, prescriptions, or other benefits, or they may send fake bills to your health insurer to receive money/reimbursements.
If you think you have experienced medical identity theft, we recommend that you act immediately by following our guidelines below, and then proceed to our Report, Recover and Reinforce sections for further assistance.
Some Immediate Action Steps to Take
- Visit IdentityTheft.gov from the Federal Trade Commission to file a report and create a personalized plan for recovery.
- Download the Identity Theft Help App from the Identity Theft Resource Center for free help with identity theft cases.
- For private insurance – call your insurance company and ask for their fraud department.
- For Medicare, Medicaid, and other HHS programs – visit Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Inspector General website to submit a complaint or call 800-447-8477.
- Contact your doctor’s offices and alert them about potential fraud.
- Obtain copies of your medical records and review them in detail. Report any mistakes or unfamiliar charges to your insurer.
Report
Reporting identity theft incidents to IdentityTheft.gov is very important! The more national reporting data that is collected, the better the chance law enforcement has to catch the criminals and decrease online crime. Although IdentityTheft.gov does not resolve individual complaints directly, they will make your report available to local, state and other law enforcement partners. Please read the IdentityTheft.gov privacy policy here. (If you believe that you’ve received a phishing email, please forward the email directly to reportphishing@apwg.org.)
Recover
These resources have been gathered, selected and vetted to help simplify the process of recovering after a cybercrime incident has taken place. You may need to contact organizations outside FightCybercrime.org. Results will vary depending on your circumstances.
- Talk with an ID Theft victim advocate, contact Identity Theft Resource Center: call 1-888-400-5530 or chat at IDTheftCenter.org
- Use this Identity Theft Victim Recovery Checklist
- Call or visit Medicare.gov to report Medicare fraud
- Identity Theft Resource Center: Medical/Insurance Correction Forms & Resources
- Find identity theft laws in your state with NITVAN.gov
- Consider your legal options, contact the National Crime Victim Bar Association: call 202-467-8716 or email victimbar@ncvc.org
Reinforce
Once you have notified the appropriate organizations and you are on the road to recovery, it is time to reinforce your cybersecurity using these resources and tools.
- Identity Theft Resource Center: Protection Tips
- Sign-up for Federal Trade Commission Scam Alerts
- Medicare.gov: Tips to Prevent Fraud
- Improve Your Security: Find cybersecurity tools to enhance your online safety
Implement Preventive Measures
- Carefully store and guard your health insurance ID cards, numbers, and records.
- Review your explanation of benefits or Medicare/Medicaid summary notices.
- Make sure any insurance claims match the services you received.
- Immediately report any mistakes or unfamiliar charges to your insurance company or Medicare/Medicaid.
- Don’t share your insurance information with anyone unless you initiated the contact or have already established trust.
- Ask questions about how your healthcare information is treated, protected, and shared by your healthcare provider or insurance company.
- Create strong passwords. Learn how from ConnectSafely.org.
- Always enable a two factor authentication (2FA) – which requires an additional code to log in.
- Download our Six Steps to Better Security PDF.
Community Resources
