Medical ID theft a threat to privacy, health and finances

The latest target for identity thieves has the potential to endanger not only your finances, but your health.

Medical identity thieves steal a name, insurance information, Social Security Number -- and use it without its real owner's knowledge to get medical services or, more commonly, to apply for credit.

"Consumers' medical insurance information is quickly becoming as valuable as their financial information," said Scott Mitic, chief executive of TrustedID, an identity theft protection company. "The economy for personal information has really matured over the last ten years, and institutions like banks that had the most to lose started doing a much better job of protecting data."

Now, he says, thieves "go where the cap on resistance is the least and where the financial opportunities are the greatest."