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Similar to the value of personal data that could be obtained in the OPM breach, medical records also offer an attractive bounty to criminals looking to commit more targeted fraud or steal someone's identity. “When someone has your clinical information, your bank account information, and your Social Security number, they can commit fraud that lasts a long time,” Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum, told Monitor correspondent Jaikumar Vijayan in March after the Premera Blue Cross breach. “The kind of identity theft that is on the table here is qualitatively and quantitatively different than what is typically possible when you lose your credit card or Social Security number.” What's more, it often takes longer for victims to discover that medical data has been stolen than to realize that his or her credit card is being used. Consequently, medical data theft can lead to a variety of long-term problems including damaged credit, misdiagnosed illnesses, and unwarranted medical charges. Personal data has become such a valuable commodity that it's outpacing stolen credit cards on the black markets.
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