December 24, 2019
Source/Pixabay
Brittany Locke-Perez, 25, allegedly stole the identities of 54 people in the Philadelphia area in to commit insurance fraud with critical illness policies issues by her former Georgia-based employer, Kingdom Insurance Group.
A 25-year-old woman is facing multiple criminal charges after prosecutors say she stole the identities of 54 people in the Philadelphia area in order to collect commissions on fraudulent insurance policies.
Brittney Locke-Perez was charged Monday with theft by deception, forgery and insurance fraud following an investigation initiated by her Georgia-based employer, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced.
Locke-Perez was employed by Kingdom Insurance Group in Thomasville. She had been licensed to sell Mutual of Omaha for Critical Illness insurance policies in the Philadelphia area.
From Dec. 2018 to Jan. 2019, Locke-Perez allegedly sold 48 fraudulent insurance applications for Philly-area clients and collected $42,585.73 in commission.
When Kingdom Insurance Group never received valid payments for the policies, they reported the theft to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes and Insurance Fraud Unit.
Critical illness insurance policies are designed to cover policyholders facing immediate, life-thretening health issues.
“Brittany Locke-Perez was entrusted to help protect her clients’ futures. Instead, she stole the identities of 54 Philadelphians, manipulate her employer’s core business, and stole tens of thousands of dollars," Krasner said.
Investigators found that Locke-Perez allegedly used the dates of birth and Social Security numbers of 48 Philadelphians, sometimes doubling fraudulent claims on particular individuals. Prosecutors said 54 identities were stolen in total.
Locke-Perez is no longer employed by Kingdom Insurance Group and will next appear in court on Jan. 28.
Authorities are reminding the public to keep sensitive information safe, review statements and regularly change account passwords to prevent identity theft.
