Protection or Paranoia?

Brook Raflo

You can never be too careful, says San Diego physician Ignacio Ramirez. Now, following an incident last February, Ramirez destroys every piece of paper with his name on it before tossing it into the trash.

After a woman obtained Ramirez's personal information from the Medical Board of California and an "identity" website designed to collect an individual's personal information, a Boston medical equipment supplier called Ramirez's office demanding $85,000. Apparently, the woman had racked up $185,000 in bills using Ramirez's identity.

Now Ramirez says he feels violated and warns others not to toss their trash unwittingly. "You're the only one who can control [your protection]," he says, "and you have to be paranoid."

Source: Congressional Quarterly