Identity Thief Rips Off Advocate Information Burglary Victim

A 44-year-old Oak Forest woman whose personal information was compromised in August says an identity thief targeted her bank account.

Chase Bank contacted the victim on Sept. 21 and advised her that someone else was using her account, according to an Oak Forest police report.

A bank official said a $900 purchase at a Lowe's store in Chicago was made using her credit card, the report states. The thief also had the last four digits of her Social Security number.

The Oak Forest resident also told police she had received a letter from Downers Grove-based Advocate Health Care, stating that their computer system had been compromised. Her personal information was among the data on 4 million patients stolen in an August burglary.

A Chicago law firm filed a class action lawsuit in September, claiming that the company failed to do enough to ensure patient information was safe.