DSHS Urges Mount Pleasant Clinic Clients to Be Aware of Possible Fraud

MT. PLEASANT — A followup was issued Friday in the case of a former state agency employee accused of ID theft. In coordination with law enforcement, the Texas Department of State Health Services is investigating the actions of the former DSHS Mount Pleasant clinic employee, who is alleged to have fraudulently used credit card and other personal information from local clients and colleagues to make recent purchases.

According to a news release, several hundred people have been identified so far as possible victims. DSHS officials say they will be notifying those people as soon as possible, though the list of potential victims may be incomplete. It is unclear whether the matter involves only recent patients, or whether older records were accessed. There is no indication at this time that clients receiving DSHS services in other parts of the state were affected.

The Titus County Sheriff’s Office arrested the former DSHS employee, Selena Patino (pictured), Jan. 4 on fraud and credit card abuse charges. Patino had been working in the DSHS Mt. Pleasant clinic since 2008 before becoming employed by the Northeast Texas Public Health District in October 2012. She was terminated by NET Health Jan. 3, 2013. Officials say DSHS is reviewing Patino’s alleged fraudulent use of credit card and personal information and is cooperating with the Texas Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and local law enforcement.

People who received services at the clinic and believe they may be the victims of identity theft are urged to contact the credit bureaus to review their histories and evaluate whether a fraud alert or credit monitoring is warranted. They also can contact DSHS at 1-800-350-6029 for information. The credit bureaus can be contacted as follows:

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
http://www.fraudalerts.equifax.com
Atlanta, GA 30374
Fraud hotline (toll-free): 1-877-478-7625

Experian
P.O. Box 2002
http://www.experian.com
Allen, TX 75013
Fraud hotline (toll-free): 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion
E-mail to report suspected fraud at: [email protected]
P.O. Box 6790
http://www.transunion.com
Fullerton, CA 92834
Fraud hotline (toll-free): 1-800-680-7289

The DSHS Mount Pleasant clinic, located at 1014 North Jefferson, offers immunization and social work services, tuberculosis management and other public health services.