Fergie's Tech Blog

$60 Gets You A New Medical Record And Free Foot Amputation

Karl writes over on techdirt.com:

We've talked at length about how hard it is to straighten out your record after you've had your identity stolen, assuming you know you're a victim in the first place. While it's one thing to debate a purchase with your credit card company, it's an entirely different animal trying to convince your medical provider you still retain possession of both of your feet.

One 57-year-old Florida woman found that after her identity was stolen, the information was used to pay for a costly foot amputation. Worse, after heading in for a hysterectomy, she found that the scammer's medical history was now intertwined with her own -- the records suggesting she had magically acquired some of the scammer's medical conditions (like diabetes).

posted by Fergie @ 1/02/2007 05:57:00 PM