Pennsylvania Man Convicted for Identity Theft

   

Posted: Mar 15, 2010

Identity theft victims are often targeted by people they know who have access to their personal or work computers.

A recent report by the Philadelphia Inquirer showed that one man was victimized by his own brother. Carlton Outlaw, who was discharged from the military under less-than-honorable conditions, used his brother's identity to receive a Veterans Administration (VA) identification card in 1998. He used this to receive almost $380,000 in free medical treatment.

The brother, who was not identified in the report, was entitled to free treatment. He contacted the VA when his wages were garnished, which led to an investigation of Outlaw's treatments. Outlaw recently pleaded guilty to theft of public funds, healthcare fraud and identity theft.

"Outlaw remains free on $50,000 unsecured bond and must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet," the report said.

Identity theft can be devastating to an individual's credit history if a thief chooses to make fraudulent charges or open new accounts. Carefully viewing their monthly bills and monitoring their credit reports can help consumers spot transactions they did not make.

Medical identity theft can be particularly harmful because it can alter one's healthcare information, potentially leading to mistreatment. Consumers should protect medical documents and shred anything containing their personal details before discarding it.