Walgreens seems to think the “ex” in “ex-husband” is just a funny little arbitrary word that doesn’t mean much. Alice says she’s been divorced for three years, and separated for more than that, has moved twice and changed her phone number twice, and yet Walgreens still allows her ex-husband to change her account information to link with his.

Alice writes in to vent her frustration, as Walgreens keeps letting her ex get access to her account by changing the information. He can do this by giving her name and current address and other personal details, then update it with his address and phone number.

As a result, he can ask what medications I’ve had filled, which is a huge violation of my privacy.

I’ve asked Walgreens to put a note in my file that states that no one can change my account information but me, but this continues to happen. This is the third time in the past year.

I’ve moved my prescriptions to another pharmacy so he can’t see what I’m getting prescribed now, but there’s nothing to keep him from seeing my past prescription history.

I’ve sent an email to Walgreens corporate and have not received a response yet, but I think people need to be aware of this risk in divorce or other breakups. We know our significant other’s birthdates, addresses, phone numbers. Without stronger oversight from Walgreens, this could happen to anyone with an unscrupulous ex.

Obviously, I’m addressing this issue with ex via the lawyers, but I think Walgreens bears the responsibility of protecting our medical information.

Call it extreme, but using information that isn’t yours just to check up on someone is akin to identity theft. Providing personal details to a company under the guise of spousal consent in order to gain access to private information could cover everything from pharmacy accounts to credit cards, phone plans or even applying for loans.

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