Fergie's Tech Blog

Rival allegedly hacked doctors' answering service

An AP newswire article by Jim Fitzgerald, via Newsday.com, reports that:

The founder of a company that runs answering services for doctors tried to destroy a competitor by hacking into the firm's computer so that patients heard either a busy signal or sexual moaning when they tried to call their physicians, the Westchester district attorney said Tuesday.

Gerald Martin, 37, of Pawling, also made crank calls to his rival's employees, dispatched a moving truck to its headquarters and sent its customers forged papers indicating it was being audited by the state, said District Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

She said the case was "a fascinating example of when competition crosses the line into criminal behavior." Martin interfered with "the sacrosanct ability of a patient to call a doctor," Pirro said.

Stuart Hayman, president of the Westchester County Medical Society, said the alleged crime "could have prevented thousands of patients from reaching their physicians in emergency situations and ... could have led to further illness, injury and even death." He said each company serves more than 1,000 physicians around the country.

Pirro said one patient in California had to be rushed to an emergency room after failing to reach a doctor because of the alleged interference.

posted by Fergie @ 7/20/2005 06:29:00 AM