Identity Theft

Description

Overview: Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.  Many identity theft scams are intent on targeting government programs.

A very common form of government identity theft is the fraudulent use of stolen identity information to apply for various assistance programs. It could be SNAP benefits (commonly referred to as “food stamps”), unemployment benefits, disability benefits, even Social Security benefits.  Medical identity theft can occur when someone steals personal identification number to obtain medical care, buy medication, access your medical records, or submit fake claims to Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurers.  The fundamental problem is that government is paying for benefits or claims for which the intended recipients are not receiving and may not even qualify for.  The other major issue is that you individuals whose identities are stolen could find themselves legitimately in need of these benefits, but may not receive them because the identity thief is already claiming them.

During this session, an overview will be given on identity theft and fraud against government programs.  Discussion will follow to identity policies or practices Federal agencies can employ to guard against identity theft, reducing improper payments and fraud against federal benefits programs.  This session is supportive of the President’s Management Agenda, CAP Goal 9:  Getting Payments Right.

Federal Presentation

• Allison Lefrack, Senior Staff Attorney and Identity Theft Program Manager, Federal Trade Commission, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection
  • Provide overview identity theft and latest trends as observed by Federal Trade Commission.
• A.G. (Alec) Alexander, III, J.D., Deputy Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Director, Center for Program Integrity
  • Will provide a view of CPI’s efforts to prevent and detect fraud and identity theft in Medicare and Medicaid.
• Adrienne Frazior, Assistant Chief, U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, Health Care Fraud Unit
  • Will discuss DOJ prosecutions and trends in identity theft enforcement with emphasis on health care fraud.

Lightning Talks

• Research and Strategies for Reducing Identity Fraud-based Improper Payments Across Federal Government
  • Gary Ingber, Principle Investigator, MITRE
• Identity Matters:  Identity Risk Mitigation in a Post Breach World
  • Scott Straub, Vice President, Federal Risk Markets, Neustar

Workshop

• Session attendees will then split into small groups – seated in roundtables, each having an assigned federal employee (tasked with leading conversations) and a volunteer rapporteur.  Each table will individually work through, culminating in a “recommended” path forward for the community.

Wrap-Up

• The Workshop MC will ask a subset of the small groups to briefly share their groups’ discussion and output.