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Freedom251 › Blog › health information security

How to Spot Phishing Messages That Use Stolen Health Information

By Freedom251 Team · · 4 min read

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A message mentioning your medical care, insurance, or personal health details may be phishing—but those details alone do not prove that your information was stolen or that the sender is genuine. Don’t click its links, open attachments, reply, or provide information. Verify the claim through a provider or insurer contact method you already trust, then take recovery steps if you find signs that someone used your medical identity.

What to look for in a suspicious health-related message

Phishing messages are designed to look as if they came from a trusted source. A text or email might claim there is a problem with your insurance, a bill, a prescription, or your medical records and pressure you to act quickly.

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Pause if you notice one or more of these warning signs:

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  • Urgent or emotionally charged language demanding immediate action.
  • A sender address or phone number that does not match the organization it claims to represent.
  • A shortened or unfamiliar link.
  • An unexpected attachment.
  • A request for medical, insurance, Social Security, financial, or login information.
  • Writing errors or misspellings. These may be less common than they once were, so polished writing is not proof that a message is legitimate.

These clues are reasons to verify, not a scoring test. One unusual detail does not establish that a breach happened, and a convincing message does not establish that it is genuine. Someone who knows accurate details about you may still be an impostor. The FTC advises not to give medical information to someone who contacts you unexpectedly: FTC: What to know about medical identity theft.

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How to verify a message safely

  1. Do not use the message to verify itself. Avoid its links, phone numbers, reply address, and attachments.
  2. Go to a known account directly. Type the web address you normally use or open the provider’s or insurer’s official app, rather than following a link in the message.
  3. Call a number you already trust. Use a number from your insurance card, a previous statement, or the organization’s own website—not a number supplied in the message.
  4. Ask whether the organization sent the message and whether your account needs attention. Do not disclose extra information unless you have independently reached the legitimate organization.

If the message looks suspicious, use your email or messaging service’s report-spam feature and notify the organization being impersonated using contact details found independently. Then delete the message. Do not reply, click, open an attachment, or use an unsubscribe link in a suspicious message. CISA’s phishing tip sheet explains these warning signs and precautions.

How to check whether someone used your medical identity

Medical identity theft happens when someone uses information such as your name, Social Security number, health insurance account number, or Medicare number to obtain care, prescriptions, medical devices, or insurance payments. It can put another person’s information into your records and may affect your care, benefits, or credit.

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Review your medical records and insurance statements for services, prescriptions, charges, or benefit use you do not recognize. Other warning signs include:

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  • A bill or Explanation of Benefits statement for care or prescriptions you did not receive.
  • A debt collector seeking payment for unfamiliar medical care.
  • Unfamiliar medical debt on a credit report.
  • An insurer saying you have reached a benefit limit when you have not used those benefits.

These signs call for follow-up with the provider or insurer; none alone proves that a particular message was phishing or that identity theft occurred. The FTC’s medical identity theft guide describes the warning signs and recovery steps.

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What to do if you find unfamiliar care or charges

  1. Contact the insurer’s fraud department. Explain what you do not recognize and ask how to dispute the claim or benefit use.
  2. Request relevant records. Ask the doctors, clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, and health plans involved for your records.
  3. Review the records and report errors in writing. Send the provider the relevant record and identify the inaccurate information. Keep a copy of your letter and any supporting documents.
  4. Track your contacts. Keep copies of correspondence and note whom you spoke with and when.
  5. Check credit reports for unfamiliar medical debt. Include any such debt in your identity-theft recovery steps.
  6. Use IdentityTheft.gov. Its recovery steps provide a plan for responding to identity theft.

The FTC says providers must respond to a request to amend records within 30 days and notify other providers that may share the error. See the FTC’s medical identity theft guidance for details.

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Where to report the problem

Choose the route that matches what happened. These agencies handle different issues; one report does not replace contacting your provider or insurer to correct records or challenge charges.

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Issue Where to go What it is for
A suspicious message or someone’s use of your medical identity IdentityTheft.gov Report identity theft and get a recovery plan. For suspected insurance or benefit misuse, also contact the insurer’s fraud department.
A possible HIPAA privacy, security, or breach-notification violation HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) File a complaint about an alleged violation by a covered entity or business associate. Whether HIPAA applies depends on the organization and conduct; not every company handling health-related information is subject to HIPAA.
A health information breach by an organization covered by the FTC Health Breach Notification Rule FTC health-breach form Report a breach involving an entity covered by that rule. For other health-information misuse or privacy and security concerns, the FTC directs consumers to ReportFraud.gov; medical identity theft belongs at IdentityTheft.gov.
A questionable Medicare charge Medicare, a local Senior Medicare Patrol, or HHS OIG Ask the provider about a possible billing error first. If it remains unresolved, contact Medicare or a local Senior Medicare Patrol; suspected Medicare fraud can be reported to HHS OIG.

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