Identity theft ring affects nearly 400 victims

Identity theft is a growing concern for consumers, especially as more incidents of the crime continue to occur.

Most recently, seven residents of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were charged with multiple counts of identity theft following an alleged scheme with almost 400 victims in 12 states, WAFB reports.

According to the Louisiana State Police, one of the accused, while working in the billing department of the Louisiana State University Hospital System, stole account information from financial databases to create counterfeit checks and identification cards, the news source reports.

The items were then sold to the other defendants and were cashed in stores throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. However, authorities were tipped off when cameras caught several of the accused making purchases with the fake checks.

Such occurrences only support advice given to consumers to continue checking their bank accounts and credit card statements to avoid being victims of fraud.