Licensed dentist and licensed insurance agent Milagros Macaraig, of Marina del Rey, California, has been charged on multiple counts of identity theft after allegedly using patient information to apply for life insurance policies without the patients' knowledge to receive commissions.

According to the California Department of Insurance ("DOI"), Dr. Macaraig used the identity of two of her patients without their knowledge to sign them up for life insurance policies without their consent or knowledge. The DOI said that Dr. Macaraig, as a licensed insurance agent, was able to collect commissions on the applications. Her alleged scheme was an attempt to change her commission structure because the more clients she had, the larger her future commissions would be, the DOI asserted.

The DOI alleged that Dr. Macaraig submitted the life insurance applications with an electronic signature and paid the initial premium with a money order. The victims initially were made aware of the life insurance policies when they were contacted by their insurer during the underwriting process before any commissions were collected, according to the DOI.