Medical Records lead to Victoria's Secret Spree

The arrest of 10 Chicago-area women in connection with an identity theft ring centered on hospital patient records underscores the vulnerability of confidential information, and the ease with which it can be used by scammers.

The Cook County Sheriff's department last week arrested 10 women linked to purchases made with credit card numbers obtained through medical records at the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, where one suspect worked for a private janitorial service. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart told the Chicago Sun-Times that the woman who worked for the janitorial service allegedly rifled the files, collected personal information, applied for credit reports and added names to credit card accounts.

With the help of friends, three of whom are sisters, the group rang up a $300,000 shopping spree using 245 different accounts. Many of the victims did not check account statements carefully, law enforcement officials said.

“The thing that is very, very frightening is how easy this was done,” Dart told the Sun-Times.

The theft ring's loot included jewelry from Jared the Galleria of Jewelry, underwear from Victoria’s Secret and even drywall from Lowe’s, Dart said.

Shikila Blount, 29, of Chicago, was named as the alleged ringleader. She was charged with organizing a continuing financial criminal enterprise and held on $200,000 bond.

Northwestern officials issued a statement on their web site, saying in part that "We take patient privacy and the guarding of patient identifying information very seriously and are working closely with the Sheriff’s Department to identify possible victims. We are continuing to investigate this matter internally to determine when and what types of information may have been compromised."