Pauline Tam reports:
Criminals are exploiting lax security in government databases to assume false identities and take advantage of Canada’s health-care system, warns a leading expert in identity fraud.
But such scams go largely unprosecuted because there is no concerted effort by government agencies to go after bogus health-care claimants, says former Edmonton police detective Joe Pendleton.
Pendleton, who helped uncover one of the country’s most notorious identity-theft schemes, told an Ottawa conference of privacy experts Monday that existing federal and provincial privacy laws hamper criminal investigations by keeping even the most basic patient health records out of the reach of police.
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