“Regular” identity theft is a huge threat to Arizona consumers, but medical identity theft is potentially more dangerous. To put it in perspective, most victims of identity theft in Arizona end up paying, on average, about $55. However, Arizona medical identity theft victims often pay up to $13,500 to clear up fraudulent medical bills. They also face heavy credit score damage, mixed up medical records, and health insurance issues. These consumers may even find themselves at odds with local law enforcement if the identity thieves illegally obtain prescription drugs in their names. Typically, the fallout from medical identity theft creations a situation that no Arizona consumer should face. Therefore, with medical identity theft on the rise, all consumers in Arizona should take measures against this crime.
Steps for Arizona Consumers to Take Against the Threat of Medical Identity Theft
In addition to the other challenges faced by victims of medical identity theft in Arizona, a recent poll revealed that around 3% of these consumers actually lost their jobs. Another 19% reported that they lost out on potential jobs because of the resulting credit score damage.
No Arizona consumer should put themselves at risk for medical identity theft. Instead, follow these tips to protect your medical information, your insurance benefits, your finances, and your credit score.
Take a close look at any medical bill you receive.
If consumers in Arizona receive medical bills for treatments they did not receive, they should immediately call both their provider and their insurance company. Then, if it becomes clear that medical fraud has occurred, they should file a police report.
Make sure to put all of your medical and health insurance records in a safe place.
Unfortunately, you must keep this type of sensitive data safe from everyone. A survey from Ponemon revealed that approximately 24% of Arizona medical identity theft victims were victimized by family members. Therefore, you can never exercise too much caution when it comes to your medical information.
Destroy all unneeded medical information, even labels from prescription bottles.
Remember that not all identity thieves in Arizona are hackers. Instead, some rely on old-fashioned dumpster diving because many consumers are careless about what they throw out. So, don’t provide a treasure trove of data for would-be medical identity thieves. Take the time to shred, burn, or otherwise destroy information that fraudsters might find valuable.
Only share medical information over the phone or via email if you’re 100% sure about the recipient.
These days, scammers can seem incredibly authentic when they call or send emails to their intended victims in Arizona. This is why you must verify the identity of anyone who calls or emails with requests for sensitive information. Never, under any circumstance, give out payment information of personal data to any unknown person.
Be wary of any offers you receive for medical services or products.
Another angle that scammers use on Arizona consumers is to send them enticing offers on medical goods and services. In exchange for deals, they simply ask for seemingly applicable information. Then, they take the data you provide to commit medical fraud in your name. So, with this in mind, always check and doublecheck any offer you receive before filling out a request.
Keep close tabs on your medical insurance records.
In addition to keeping them in a safe place, consumers in Arizona should always go over insurance records carefully. Make sure that all claims are recognizable and valid, and if anything seems suspicious, take action immediately. Call the provider listed, as well as your insurance company. Then, file a police report if you strongly suspect medical identity theft.
Check your credit reports on a regular basis.
Finally, all Arizona consumers should check their credit reports regularly for signs of any type of identity theft. At least once every 12 months, go to www.annualcreditreport.com, and request credit reports from TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), you can do this for free.
Then, while reviewing your credit reports, if you spot fraudulent transactions or bogus accounts, file a police report immediately. No matter what type of identity theft you’re dealing with, you’ll need a copy of this police report in order to fully correct credit report damage caused by identity thieves. Next, contact Credit Repair Lawyers of America in Arizona.
Sadly, creditors and the credit bureaus don’t always cooperate with identity theft victims in Arizona. But our firm knows how to deal with these organizations. In fact, our credit pros will handle the entire process for you. Then, an experienced credit attorney will get you clean credit reports no matter what it takes – for free.
Free, Legal Credit Report Repair After Identity Theft in Arizona
Don’t let identity theft damage on your credit reports bring your credit score down. At Credit Repair Lawyers of America, we’ve been cleaning up credit reports for consumers since 2008 for free. How do we do it? All of our fees come from the defendants in settled cases. This is why our clients pay nothing for the work we do.
Let’s start the conversation about what we can do for your credit. Set up your free consultation today by calling Attorney Gary Nitzkin at (480) 771-6001 or contact us on our contact page.
For more information about Free Credit Repair After Identity Theft, please visit https://creditrepairlawyersam.com/arizona/fix-identity-theft/.
