Your medical records may be putting your financial health at risk – the fastest growing form of identity theft is medical records theft. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, more than 27 percent of data breaches in 2017 were related to medical or healthcare information.
Medical records contain extremely valuable personal, credit and protected health information all in one place, making them highly susceptible to threats and fraudulent activity. Because your medical records are accessible at many points along the path – from your healthcare provider to patient billing to claims processing – it’s a data-rich environment for cyberthieves dealing in stolen information.
While no one is completely immune to medical identity theft, screening and early detection are critical to minimizing damage to your credit and financial health.