FTC Panel Highlights Growing Problem of Medical Identity Theft, Especially Among Senior Citizens

PORTLAND, Ore., May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Identity theft is the nation's fastest-growing crime, claiming almost ten million victims per year, according to FBI statistics. Medical identity theft is the latest threat to affect patients—especially senior citizens. To address this growing epidemic, the Federal Trade Commission will host the educational forum

"Senior Identity Theft: A Problem in This Day and Age" to discuss the challenges facing victims of senior identity theft, what can be done, and explore the best consumer education. Megan Cox, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission, will moderate the medical identity theft panel. Panelists include Rick Kam, ID Experts; Pamela Dixon, World Privacy Forum; Andy McKee, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and Robin M. Slade, Medical Identity Fraud Alliance.

What: A one-day forum presented by the Federal Trade Commission: "Senior Identity Theft: A Problem In This Day and Age." Panelists from the government, the private sector, and advocacy will discuss seniors' vulnerability to identity theft in the healthcare arena.

When: May 7, 2013; 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET

Where: FTC Conference Center, 601 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001

Website and registration: To register for the free FTC panel or view the webcast, please visit http://ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/senior-identity-theft. On Twitter: @FTC and #idtheft.

"Medical identity theft is a life threatening crime," said Rick Kam, president and co-founder of

ID Experts. "We're seeing accelerated misuse of individual medical identities and there are no real solutions on the market today to address this problem. By gathering this group of experts and thought leaders, we hope to educate lawmakers and the public to get control of this growing and potentially deadly issue."

FTC Panel Hones in on Senior Identity Theft

Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's name and information without the person's knowledge or consent to obtain medical services or goods or to make false claims, according to World Privacy Forum. And medical identity theft can plague victims' medical and financial lives for years. Senior citizens are often a target, as they tend to be more trusting of others and are less likely to report the crime because they don't want family members to think they cannot maintain their independence, says the National Crime Prevention Council. Half of healthcare organizations experienced cases of medical identity theft in 2012, according to the recent Ponemon Institute study, Third Annual Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy & Data Security. This problem cost the healthcare industry $41 billion in 2012, according to another Ponemon Institute study, Third Annual Survey on Medical Identity Theft.

About ID Experts

ID Experts delivers complete data breach care. The company's solutions in data breach prevention, analysis and response are endorsed by the American Hospital Association, meet regulatory compliance and achieve the most positive outcomes for its customers. ID Experts is a leading advocate for privacy as a contributor to legislation, a corporate and active member in both the IAPP and HIMSS, a corporate member of HCCA and chairs the ANSI Identity Management Standards Panel PHI Project. For more information, join the LinkedIn All Things HITECH discussion at bit.ly/AllThingsHITECH or All Things Data Breach at http://linkd.in/TsbwgJ; follow ID Experts on Twitter @IDExperts; and visit http://www2.idexpertscorp.com/.

SOURCE ID Experts