Contact 6: Avoiding identity theft
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Elsy was devastated after discovering the money she and her husband were saving for a new home had been stolen from their bank account.
"The dream was gone. Everything we worked for -- gone. They got our personal information from the medical facility where my husband was getting treatment for leukemia," Elsy said.
While Elsy's husband underwent chemotherapy, an employee of the medical clinic was stealing his personal information from his check-in forms.
"When we found out that money was gone, I dropped to my knees because it terrified me that everything was going to be gone," Elsy said.
"It`s rather heart-wrenching that someone would take advantage of somebody in that condition," U.S. Postal Inspector Frank Schissler said.
U.S. postal inspectors began investigating Elsy's case and found more than 35 other patients who had also had their personal information compromised.
"They feel violated I`m sure since their information was stolen -- especially during such a vulnerable time in their lives," Schissler said.
One way to stop the thieves like the ones in this case is to always monitor credit card statements and check credit once a year.
"If you get a call from a hospital, bank or credit card company asking for your personal information, do not give it out over the phone. Unless it's a call you initiated, they shouldn`t be asking for that information. They should already have that information," Schissler said.
Authorities were able to recover Elsy's money.
"My husband and I are good. We have a home and he hit the cancer free mark and have our sixth grandchild on the way. We`re doing great," Elsy said.
Thankfully, the four people running this identity theft ring were prosecuted and are spending time behind bars.