Police: Thieves are using info from defunct Wichita mortgage company

WICHITA, Kan. -- Police are warning that identity thieves have used the customer records of a defunct Wichita mortgage company to run up tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases.

Authorities on Friday recommended that anyone who did business with Mortgage Solutions, which is no longer in business, check with national consumer reporting companies for suspicious activity in their credit history.

Wichita Police Capt. Darnell Haynes said the thieves "would take orders and then fill them," using the fraudulent accounts to buy specific things. They would then sell the items for cash, leaving the bills for unsuspecting people who did business with Mortgage Solutions.

"It's a 'steal to order,' the higher-dollar the item the better," Haynes said.

Police showed hundreds of files they said were confiscated during arrests in Wichita and in other identity theft cases. They said some files are missing and still in the hands of identity thieves.

Investigators said the thieves have made fraudulent purchases in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas, including Hutchinson and Salina.

Police said they don't suspect employees with Mortgage Solutions of being involved in the identity thefts.

, but they also aren't sure how the thieves got the files with personal information or how many files are involved.

---

Information from: The Wichita Eagle, http://www.kansas.com