Did you get the letter? The one that regrets to inform you that your personal information has been hacked from that company's database and is now in the hands of who-knows?

Unless you are living at 123 On-Another-Planet, you know that identity theft is America's fastest-growing crime—and now more specifically, medical identity theft.

It took Michael W. five years to finally discover who'd been stealing his identity and using it to receive $345,000 in medical care at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. The problem was that Michael, who lives in South Carolina, had never been in Ohio. His driver's license was stolen six years earlier and the thief had used it to get medical treatment.

I just read about a woman who discovered she'd been identified as the mother of a baby whose drug-addicted birth mother abandoned the baby at the hospital and stole this woman's health insurance information. What followed was the kind of nightmare that sends chills up my spine.

Child custody authorities attempted to remove her biological children from her home, and she got hit with huge legal and medical bills on top of the defamation of her good name and reputation in the community.

What it is. Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses personal information like your name, Social Security number or health insurance ID to get medical care, submit claims or buy drugs and expensive medical equipment.

If the thief uses your identity to receive medical services or prescription drugs, that could create a flag in the system that triggers regulators or even law enforcement to track you down. The next time you seek care, you could end up with the wrong medical history, wrong blood type, inaccurate allergies and other errors that could end up being deadly for you.

Protect your information. While it can be difficult to protect yourself against a data breach, you should fiercely safeguard your Social Security number and medical insurance card. Treat medical bills, prescription drug labels and insurance statements as you would any other sensitive information—shred them.

Set up accounts. Set up for online accounts with your medical providers, insurance company and prescription drug provider, even if you don't intend to use them. That will help to prevent someone else from signing up under your name.

Be vigilant. Guard against fraud by monitoring all medical billing statements and returning any calls from medical billing offices.

Routinely check the accuracy of your medical records. Look for things like your blood type, medical conditions and procedures. Request to have your medical records corrected if you find false information.

Safeguarding your medical information, credit report, financial and insurance statements may not prevent all cases of medical identity theft, but it can help you notice fraud faster so you can move quickly to correct it.

Get protected. On Jan. 29, 2015, Anthem health insurance learned it had been hacked. Personal identifying information of up to 80 million customers was stolen.

Within three days of the breach, I received an email from LifeLock, instructing me what to do and how to respond to this news, given that Anthem is my healthcare provider. That's because I have LifeLock identity theft protection.

I eventually heard from Anthem, but not until six weeks had passed. LifeLock was right on top of the situation with information, assurance and a plan of attack should they detect even a hint of compromise on my behalf regarding the Anthem incident, or any other incident that can affect me negatively.

LifeLock is not the only insurance option for ID theft. I just happen to think it is the best. It is proactive, constantly monitoring over a trillion data points for threats to my identity, my good name, my credit scores. I even get alerts if they detect that a registered sex offender has moved into a neighborhood nearby.

LifeLock works to stop credit and medical ID theft before it happens. And when they can't prevent it, they fix it. Make sure to visit www.everydaycheapskate.com/lifelock and you will automatically get 10% off and 30 days free on your LifeLock membership. Alternatively, call 1-800-780-7505 and mention promo code EC30 on signup for the same special deal.

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at [email protected], or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.