Unfortunately, much of the problem stems from businesses that ask for identifying information, such as on job applications and paperwork for doctor offices. That's the scariest part about identity theft: Once your identity is compromised, you never know what else is out there or who might have your information.Ĭonsumers can take steps to protect themselves. "When the thief was finally arrested, in North Carolina, she refused to give her real identity unless she got a deal for a reduced sentence and automatic deportation - because she knew that as soon as she got back into the country she could start all over again with the same identity," O'Farrell says. And she had a new house - conveniently purchased with her credit by the fraudster. Two states, two driver's licenses and two DUIs later, the victim could no longer renew her license and had a criminal record, plus numerous tickets, to her name. "The thief opened numerous lines of credit and accounts in the victim's name, which became a separate fight." That victim's identity was stolen by an illegal immigrant, who began employment under the new identity, "which created claims of fraud from both the (Internal Revenue Service) and Social Security Administration," says Neal O'Farrell, executive director of the Identity Theft Council. In 2011, there was a 67 percent increase in the number of Americans impacted by data breaches over the previous year, Javelin found. People whose identities were compromised in a data breach were much more likely to be victims of identity theft, according to Javelin - and those are on the rise. In 2011 alone, 11.6 million adults were victims of identity fraud, according to Javelin Strategy & Research, a consultant to the financial services industry. In addition, the FTC only hears a small percentage of all identity theft cases. The agency received 279,156 identity theft complaints in 2011, 23 percent of which are categorized as "other." Medical identity theft makes up 2.2 percent of that category. To clear up the identity theft, "You have to contact every provider and you may not be able to figure out right away all the providers the thief went to," says Lisa Schifferle, an attorney with the division of privacy and identity protection at the Federal Trade Commission.Īs scary as it is, medical ID theft accounts for only a fraction of the identity theft complaints the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, receives every year, according to Schifferle. Because there is no central repository for medical records, detection is hit or miss, and unwinding the problem can take some detective work. Pharmacy records mixed with a stranger's are bad enough, but the problem can be compounded if medical records are intertwined as well. "He was having a really hard time getting these prescriptions filled because the pharmacy was saying, 'We can't have one person taking these two medications.' Even though he was saying, 'That's not me!'" Velasquez says. Adding to the confusion, the interactions of the perpetrator's medications conflicted with those of the victim - meaning the medications taken together would be potentially dangerous - so the pharmacy refused to fill the victim's prescriptions. The problem: The victim also happened to use the same pharmacy. "Someone else was using his information to obtain prescriptions at a well-known national retail pharmacy," says Eva Velasquez, president and chief executive officer of the ITRC. The ITRC is a nonprofit that provides free counseling services to identity theft victims. A recent caller to the Identity Theft Resource Council, or ITRC, related a story of medical identity theft that left him unable to fill his own needed prescriptions. However, Roberts has zero credits on IMDb since his 2016 Mike & Molly exit.It can even be life threatening. At the time, it was claimed that Roberts was leaving Mike & Molly to work on other projects. Rowles also factored in things like Roberts leaving Mike & Molly after the third season and the excuse given publicly for that departure. Rowles also dismissed directors McCarthy has worked with that had good reputations and collaborated with other major stars.Īfter that process, Rowles set his sights on Roberts. Next, Rowles ruled out other bosses that McCarthy has worked with more than once like Gilmore Girls' Amy Sherman-Palladino. After all, Feig appears to be McCarthy's friend, Falcone is her husband, and she has worked with both men over and over. The first thing Rowles did while trying to figure out who McCarthy was talking about was dismissed her frequent collaborators Paul Feig and Ben Falcone. Related: Barbara Walters Blasted Jenny McCarthy Backstage On The View And Purposely Avoided The Audience Cheering For Her
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