New Requirements to Prevent Identity Theft
"For the last eight years, identity theft has been the leading crime reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Identity thieves use personal identifying information to open new accounts and misuse existing accounts, creating havoc for consumers and businesses and costing millions of dollars. To help slow the frequency of these offenses, numerous laws have been passed, including the "Red Flags Rule" under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA).
Effective August 1, 2009, the "Red Flags Rule" require medical practices, financial institutions, and other businesses with "covered accounts" to implement a written Identity Theft Prevention Program designed to detect the warning signs or "red flags" of identity theft in their day-to-day operations, take steps to prevent the crime, and mitigate the damage it inflicts. By identifying red flags in advance, businesses will be better equipped to spot suspicious patterns when they arise and take steps to prevent a red flag from escalating into a costly episode of identity theft."
In summary, the New Red Flag Rule states that businesses must have a written Identity Theft Prevention Program and must include measures to detect red flags. Therefore, for new patients, the Cosmetic Surgery Center will require new patients to submit a valid photo identification such as a driver's license, passport or military ID and include in each patient's file a copy of the ID.
In the case the patient is a minor, photo identification of the responsible party will be obtained. In the case where a patient does not have a valid photo ID, two forms of non-photo ID, will be obtained (ex. Birth certificate, social security card, voter's registration card, etc.)
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Please call our office at (757) 497-5400 if you have any questions.
