3 Arrested in California Medicare Fraud And Identity Theft Case

To me, it's important to congratulate law enforcement when identity thieves are caught. This case is particularly bad because the identity thieves preyed on elder citizens. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported:

"A husband and wife who ran a physical rehabilitation center in San Diego allegedly defrauded Medicare of more than $1.3 million by stealing the identities of seniors and filing false claims under their names, state regulators said yesterday. Sanjay J. Patel, 41, and Leena Bharat Kumar Patel, 36, were arrested yesterday morning at their home in Groton, Conn..."

Here's how the scam worked:

"An alleged accomplice, Librada Santos Comduran, 80, helped recruit seniors to sign blank medical forms and turn over their Medicare beneficiary ID numbers in exchange for $100 payments, according to an affidavit... The Patels used the signed forms and beneficiary numbers to file false Medicare claims through their business, the Balboa Therapy Center in Hillcrest, between July 2005 and June 2006."

Identity thieves come from all backgrounds, places, and ages. Clearly, the identity thieves and fraudsters collected money for services that weren't performed. This case has other implications given the recessionary economy. Unfortunately, one should expect to see more identity theft and fraud cases like this.

Comments

[LifeLock Jeff]

It is getting worse it seems with any sort of ID theft be it credit cards, medical or cleaning out your accounts. Near Chicago a woman who was illegal used up over a half a million dollars in medical care before she was deported. These looters are destroying the very fabric of what this country is all about.