Vivian Chow and Rick Chambers
2 days ago
Security video shows thieves breaking into a Sherman Oaks dental office and stealing hundreds of files containing personal patient information on Thursday.
The break-in occurred shortly after 3:00 am at Riverside Dental, located on the 12900 block of Riverside Drive.
Surveillance cameras caught the thief breaking into the office through a broken rear window. When he found a room where medical records were kept on shelves, he immediately saw him grabbing a large pile of folders and stuffing them into his bag.
The entire theft occurred within minutes.
“He’s going to sell them,” said Los Angeles-based private investigator Andy Kaye. “If he wants medical records, he’ll sell them to the highest bidder.”
According to Kay, thieves will already have a buyer for patient records or will start selling records on the dark web.
“They want a prescription issued,” Kay explained. “They have the person’s medical information. Date of birth, social security number, address, medical conditions, they know everything.”
While digital data breaches seem to be more common these days, theft of hardcopy files is actually very lucrative, Kay says.
“You can get $1,000 a piece for someone’s medical information, as opposed to getting $1 to $110 for Social Security and an address,” Kay said.
It has been confirmed that the police have been notified by the dentist who runs Riverside Dental.
Experts say the theft could cause a lot of trouble for victims whose medical records were stolen. You may have already built a .
Kay advises victims of identity theft to contact their credit, financial, and pharmacies immediately to warn them of possible fraud.