BS: Ambulance chasing theft of privacy

Subject: BS: Ambulance chasing theft of privacy
From: Penny S.
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 07:17 AM

I had a small accident in my car on Friday, down as my fault since I was coming out of an obscured drive. I gave the other driver my address, my home phone number, and my insurance company name and policy number. I called my company in his presence on my mobile, but did not give him my number.
Today I had a call on my mobile, which should not be listed, as I took that option with the start of the contract, from an accident company, who claimed to have my details from a national accident database. They did not get any details from my insurance company (I've checked).
I have now registered my mobile with the preference service - I had somehow missed doing that, but I am wondering just how they got hold of my mobile number in the first place. They knew the date of the accident, so it wasn't random. (And national accidents must be up at the moment, because of the weather, so my little prang should be only minor.)
I am not happy about this so-called database, about which my insurance company, not a small one, does not know.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: Ambulance chasing theft of privacy
From: Jack Campin
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 08:50 AM

I have been getting sporadic textspams for months saying "as result of your recent accident you may be entitled to compensation of £3750".

I haven't had an accident, this is random phishing.

Sure that isn't what's happening to you?

Subject: RE: BS: Ambulance chasing theft of privacy
From: maeve
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 09:04 AM

We were harassed by three separate independent insurance adjusters as we stood before our burned out home with the smoke still billowing. All had gotten our address from a statewide fire report database and wanted to be hired to "fight" our insurance company. All were sent packing with the clear message that they were trespassing and would be reported. Had they simply expressed condolences, handed us a brochure, and then departed, we'd have been willing to look over the information when we were ready to consider our wisest course of action. We understood their desire for remunerative work but not the vulture approach.

If you hadn't yet put your mobile number into the preference service, I imagine it was easy enough for the offending party to get that information.

I hope no one was injured.

Subject: RE: BS: Ambulance chasing theft of privacy
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 02:20 PM

The problem here in the UK is that we don't have any statutory right to privacy beyond the somewhat porous provisions of the Data Protection Act, which sometimes seems to protect the right of others to distribute our details.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Ambulance chasing theft of privacy
From: Penny S.
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 10:00 AM

No injuries on either side, and very little damage to vehicles - it was a very slow speed accident.

My number is ex-directory - I made a point of that when I changed it, to avoid someone who had my old number being able to contact me. And I don't usually put it on documents. I only give it to people who need it.

There is not, apparently, a national accident database.

Interesting about the fires - a church in South London burned, and someone turned up to ask if they wanted to sell the site for development while it was still burning. Crassus in Ancient Rome used to do the same sort of thing. Though in his case, there were suspicions that his men had somehting to do with the fires.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: Ambulance chasing theft of privacy
From: pdq
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 11:31 AM

The creation of a US federal medical database was not even in ObamaCare but in the Stimulus Bill. It creates a new department and a new job as director...


Final Stimulus Bill Creates Government Database that Will Hold Every American's Personal Medical Records

Thursday, February 12, 2009
By Fred Lucas

The final version of the stimulus bill, negotiated by the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, includes a provision creating a federal database that will hold the personal medical records of every American, Katie Grant, spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told CNSNews.com Thursday.

The full language of the final package had not been released as of press time. But the bills that passed both the House and Senate created an "Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology" and called for the coordinator to create a national database and a plan for "the utilization of an electronic health record (EHR) for each person in the United States by 2014."

Asked if the provision for the "utilization of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014" was in the final bill agreed to by the House-Senate conference committee, Grant said, "It is." She later said "correct" when asked a second time if this language was in the final bill.

The legislation called for creating a National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and said that this person "shall perform the duties under subsection (c ) in a manner consistent with the development of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure for the electronic use and exchange of information."


{shortened by me...information is out there if you want to look}