# Was this a HIPAA violation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 18, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-hipaa-violation/635090 "2012-09-18T18:24:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-hipaa-violation/635090/61 "2012-09-20T21:05:10Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I agree, there’s something fuzzy in the description > > A: “Hey, I tripped on this crack!” > B: “Let me get the manager.” > C: Why don’t we see about getting you a gift certificate?" > > Seems an odd play of events that way. Now maybe it went a little more like this. > > A: “Hey, I tripped on this crack, and I’m considering doing something about that.” > B: “Let me get the manager.” > A: “You’d better. Abusing your customers, this is outrageous.” > C: “That’s a small crack, but you say you tripped?” > A: “Yes, and Walmart is shameful.” > C: “I’m sorry you were injured, maybe I can get you a gift certificate to make it up?” > A: “You’d better!” > C: “Yo, Loss Prevention, we got another on aisle 4.” > > It just seems odd that they would jump to a gift certificate, and not fill out an incident report to submit for safety review. > > It seems odd they would ask for her SSN. Why would she give them that? 1. The crack was actually pretty big and has since been filled in with tar. 2. The manager only took her phone number and said corporate would call her and maybe suggesting a gift certificate would be given, no forms filled out. She was going into walmart anyway when she tripped. No threats of lawsuit were given by her, but if they wanted to give her a gift cert she was fine with that. 3 I have no clue why she gave a random person the phone her info and SS#, if she had asked me first I’d have advised against it. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-hipaa-violation/635090/62 "2012-09-20T21:27:00Z")
> [@Yarster](#): > > **drachillix** - Agreed that the calls are unencrypted and could be intercepted by scanner, but unless a paparazzi is so desperate for a lead that they are standing around listing to their scanner 24/7 and recording it, they are unlikely to pick up that specific call. Actually its fairly common for TV news feild crews to listen to scanners to try and catch big events as they happen. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-hipaa-violation/635090/63 "2012-09-20T23:38:14Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Bonus points to the OP for spelling HIPAA correctly. > > Mocking derision towards all who spelled it “HIPPA”. > > 🙂 I thought the same thing when I saw the thread. But I’m sure it meant more coming from a doctor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-a-hipaa-violation/635090.md?page=3)