One ID Pro Blog

According to a new survey from The Ponemon Institute, about 5.8% of American adults have been victims of medical identity theft. The average cost per victim is an alarming is $20,160.

According to the survey, 29% of victims of medical ID theft discovered the problem a year after the incident, and 21% said it took two or more years to learn about it. The average cost of sorting out the mess was $20,160, which might include making out-of-pocket payments to a health plan provider to restore coverage. Nearly half of the victims (48%) lost coverage due to medical ID theft. Roughly 75% found resolution difficult, and only about 25% said there were no consequences due to the theft.

Among the victims surveyed, 46% did not report the incident to law enforcement or other legal authorities, according to the report, and 33% said the medical ID theft occurred because a family member used their medical ID for goods and services without their knowledge. Other medical ID thefts were attributed to a lost wallet with insurance card in it, and a data breach that exposed patient information.

The Federal Trade Commission released a report on Wednesday listing the top complaints filed by consumers in 2009.  Identity theft remains at the top.  Of the 1.3 million complaints the agency received last year, 21 percent were for identity theft.

The report breaks out complaint data on a state-by-state basis and also contains data about the 50 metropolitan areas reporting the highest per capita incidence of fraud and other… Continue reading

Close to one thousand former Southern Illinois University students are now at the risk of identity theft. University officials said an old computer in the math department was hit by a virus last month. The computer contained the names and Social Security numbers of 900 students who took a particular math class five years ago. SIU spokesman Rod Sievers says it’s not clear if anyone’s identity has… Continue reading

The Chattanooga-based health insurer said the number of affected customers with potentially compromised identification and health information has more than doubled from the 220,133 persons already notified about the identity threat.

An additional 301,628 current and former members of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee will be receiving letters alerting them that their personal information was included on computer hard drives stolen from the insurance company last year.

BlueCross Communications Director Roy… Continue reading

A data breach at the National Archives and Records Administration is more serious than previously believed. It involved sensitive personal information of 250,000 Clinton administration staff members, job applicants and White House visitors.

The data, which included more than 100,000 Social Security numbers, was stored on a computer hard drive that the NARA discovered missing last April from a data processing room in Maryland. It’s unknown if the drive… Continue reading

Lincoln National has begun notifying 1.2 million customers of a possible data breach, according to a letter posted to the New Hampshire Department of Justice’s Web site. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority was given a username and password combination that let anyone access Lincoln’s portfolio information system.

“This username and password had been shared among certain employees … and employees of affiliated companies,” Lincoln National’s letter states. This is… Continue reading

The FBI and Better Business Bureau Wednesday put out a warning to exercise caution before donating to organizations claiming to be charities that will send financial assistance to Haiti.

“Apply a critical eye,” said the FBI in a statement, and do “due diligence before responding to those requests.”

“Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and e-mails that claim to link to a relief organization,” said the Better… Continue reading

1 in 6 Massachusetts residents have had their credit card numbers, medical records, or other personal information leaked or stolen over the past two years, according to records provided to the Boston Globe.  That is at least 1 million people living in Massachusetts who have had their personal information breached.

This included data on customers of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Eastern Bank, JPMorgan Chase Bank… Continue reading

The Better Business Bureau released a list of last years top consumer scams:

1. Acai Supplements and other “free” trial offers - Ads offering trial offers for teeth whiteners, acai anti-aging pills, and other miracle supplements blanketed the Internet, including trusted Web sites of national news organizations. The marketing campaigns often falsely claimed an endorsement by celebrities like Oprah, Rachael Ray, and Dr. Oz. Thousands of

The Wall Street Journal has said that the FBI is probing a computer security breach targeting Citigroup. The breach has resulted in the theft of tens of millions of dollars by computer hackers believed to be a Russian cyber gang.

Citigroup has denied this has happened, stating “any allegation that the FBI is working on a case at Citigroup involving a breach of Citi… Continue reading