If your purse, wallet, or briefcase has been stolen, you must assume that your identi-fication, credit cards, checking information, and debit cards are going to be used by a thief. Some thieves steal these items looking for the identification more than the cash they may contain. There is a ready market for stolen identification information, including stolen Social Security numbers.
Today there are more subtle ways to sneak into your private life. Your Social Security number may be stolen at a doctor’s office or hospital when you provide your number to a clerk. Many insurance companies have changed the identification numbers on the insurance cards provided to policyholders to avoid displaying Social Security numbers on the cards. Despite this helpful step, many hospitals and medical offices persist in recording your Social Security number in many places throughout their system.
Dishonest employees can steal this information and sell it to thieves. The University of Chicago Hospitals reported the theft of patient information in February of 2005.
The FBI reported that an unscrupulous employee was under suspicion for stealing the
I d e n t i t y T h e f t a n d C o m p u t e r- B a s e d F r a u d • 1 0 7
personal information of eighty-five patients. The hospital offered to run credit reports for other patients who may have been victimized.
In October of 2005, the Wilcox Memorial Hospital in Kauai, Hawaii reported that a missing backup computer drive containing confidential financial and personal infor-mation of 130,000 former and current patients was missing from its hospital. This included the Social Security numbers, names, and home addresses of these patients.
If you have been a patient at a large, urban hospital recently, either as an outpatient or inpatient, you have probably been asked for a photo ID as well as your insurance card. You may also be asked some other personal information that only you would know when you register at an outpatient clinic. This is because thieves have started to sell insurance cards to the uninsured, and even use the insurance cards themselves.
1 0 8 • 1 0 1 + C o m p l a i n t L e t t e r s T h a t G e t R e s u l t s
TAKING ACTION—STEP-BY-STEP
1. If you believe your personal information has been compromised or stolen, can-cel all credit cards and notify your banks, credit unions, and health and prop-erty insurers.
2. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report identity theft at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. You may also call the FTC’s Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free at 877-ID-THEFT (438-4338) or 866-653-4261 (TTY). File a com-plaint by writing to:
Identity Theft Clearinghouse Federal Trade Commission 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
3. Place a fraud alert on all your credit accounts by contacting the three major national credit reporting agencies.
Equifax P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374
800-685-1111 www.equifax.com
Experian P.O. Box 9532 Allen, TX 75013 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
www.experian.com
I d e n t i t y T h e f t a n d C o m p u t e r- B a s e d F r a u d • 1 0 9
TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19022
800-888-4213 www.transunion.com
You are entitled to receive a free credit report after reporting the identity theft to the FTC. Review the report carefully to see if you have remembered all the accounts you have and to see if the thieves are applying for credit in your name.
4. File a police report with your local police. In big cities, police may try to discour-age you from reporting because it means more paperwork for them. In response to this problem, many cities and states are considering legislation to require the police to take these reports. Check with your local government officials to deter-mine if there is a law requiring the police to take these reports.
5. Report your stolen driver’s license to the state agency from which you obtained your license. Place a fraud alert on the license if available. Obtain a new license and do not put your Social Security number on the front.
1 1 0 • 1 0 1 + C o m p l a i n t L e t t e r s T h a t G e t R e s u l t s
L e t t e r 6 . 1 : R e p o r t i n g T h e f t t o C r e d i t C a r d C o m p a n y
I d e n t i t y T h e f t a n d C o m p u t e r- B a s e d F r a u d • 1 1 1
Laura Petrie 12 Canasta Lane
New Rochelle, NY 21030 123-456-7890
July 15, 2007 Unconscionable Credit Card Company
17 Road to Perdition Devil’s Lake, NM 66666
Re: Stolen Card Dear Sir or Madam:
This letter will confirm my telephone call to your fraud hotline on July 14, 2007, to report the theft of my Platinum Card account #4805.
Please confirm that you have placed a fraud alert on my account for this, and my new account.
Please send my new card by express mail.
Very truly yours,
Laura Petrie
L e t t e r 6 . 2 :
A s k i n g P o l i c e D e p a r t m e n t t o F i l e T h e f t R e p o r t
1 1 2 • 1 0 1 + C o m p l a i n t L e t t e r s T h a t G e t R e s u l t s
Robert Hartley
5400 North Sheridan Road Chicago, IL 60626
111-333-5544
April 1, 2007 Commander
Chicago Police Department Headquarters 330 West Loop
Chicago, IL 60600
Re: Identity Theft Report Dear Commander:
My financial information was stolen when computer information was stolen from the bank holding my retirement funds. I believe the infor-mation was on a laptop loaded with retirement account inforinfor-mation for thousands of customers, which was stolen from a bank employee’s car.
I tried to file a police report at the Rogers Park station, but was told by the desk sergeant that he could not take a report.
Please direct me to an officer who will take an identity theft report. I need it in order to establish that there was a theft. The credit card com-panies and my bank also want copies of this report.
Very truly yours,
Robert Hartley
L e t t e r 6 . 3 :
R e p o r t i n g I d e n t i t y T h e f t t o F e d e r a l Tr a d e C o m m i s s i o n
I d e n t i t y T h e f t a n d C o m p u t e r- B a s e d F r a u d • 1 1 3
Barbie Doll
18 Dream House Street Toyland, CA 92888 222-444-6666
July 5, 2007 Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20580
Re: Complaint To whom it may concern:
Please be advised that I am filing my complaint about the theft of my identification. My purse was stolen from the table of our restaurant while I was having dinner with my boyfriend, Ken.
Enclosed is a list of my stolen credit cards, bank accounts, etc., and a copy of your complaint form, which I downloaded from your website.
Sincerely,
Barbie Doll
L e t t e r 6 . 4 :
B a n k — F a i l u r e t o N o t i f y o f S t o l e n F i n a n c i a l I n f o r m a t i o n
1 1 4 • 1 0 1 + C o m p l a i n t L e t t e r s T h a t G e t R e s u l t s
Ebenezer Scrooge
One Creepy Old Mansion Road Fidelity, PA 21677
555-111-0000
August 12, 2007 Big Bank of New York
One Financial Street New York, NY 10000
Re: Failure to Notify of Stolen Information Dear Sir or Madam:
I am a large depositor in your bank. I trusted you with sensitive finan-cial and personal information. Recently I learned from news accounts that a computer containing thousands of customer accounts was stolen from your main office. You should have notified your customers to be on the alert for fraudulent activity in their accounts as a result of this theft.
Today I opened my monthly statement, which arrived in the mail. I saw that many withdrawals had been made from my accounts, but not by me. Please freeze the account immediately. I expect to be reimbursed for my losses. I will transfer my business elsewhere at the earliest opportunity.
Very truly yours,
Ebenezer Scrooge
7 7
H
He ea alltth h
There are many new federal and state laws that have been enacted in response to con-sumer complaints regarding health care. Federal law requires new privacy measures by health care providers to protect your right to privacy. You need to be informed about these changes.
Keep copies of all medical bills, receipts, and claim forms. Do not send original doc-uments to the insurance company unless required. Retain all statements from the insurance company that show claim activity and payments on your behalf, known as explanations of benefits. (Most insurers do not keep records of this activity, so you can-not get a copy at a later date.)
Insurance companies may try to avoid paying for expensive medications and proce-dures. Do research to support your request for treatment. If your request is denied, you will have to file a written appeal that conforms to your insurance company’s procedures.
Enlist the aid of your doctor to write a letter explaining the need for the treatment.
There are state insurance regulators with consumer complaint departments, and state attorneys general may also have consumer health complaint divisions. These public servants intercede on your behalf to persuade the insurers to reconsider the denial of coverage. Insurance companies can be fined and have their licenses to do business in the state revoked for denying coverage that should be provided.