Identity theft victim stunned by $52G hospital bill: report

The man in this photo used another man's ID to pay for an expensive medical procedure, say police in Daly City, Calif. (Daly City Police Department)

A San Francisco man who lost identification cards when his backpack was stolen was stunned to receive a $52,310 bill for the thief's medical procedure, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.

The thief apparently used the victim's identity to arrange for the unspecified procedure to be done Sept. 2, authorities said. The victim learned about the bill when the hospital called asking if he'd have a difficult time paying.

Authorities were dumbfounded.

“Usually with identity theft you see people fill a bunch of vehicles with gas, buy goods, electronics,” Daly City police Sgt. Ron Harrison told the paper.

The alleged victim will not be charged for the procedure and Seton Hospital will likely have to take the financial hit.