Ankeny Fraud Left Victims Feeling "Sick and Anxious"

Tiffany and Adam Hoffman weren’t the only people in Ankeny this week to discover money missing from their checking accounts.

to the , although several hundred could be affected.

Ankeny police issued a public warning to residents yesterday, encouraging them to check their bank statements for fraudulent activity linked to their debit cards.

Although police are still unsure how the information was compromised, it was used to access ATMs throughout southern California, illegally obtaining money from accounts.

Shantelle Ford of Ankeny felt “sick” after realizing $303 was missing from her and husband Tony’s account following an ATM withdrawal in Hollywood, Calif.

“I had a large check out and it was not going to clear my account,” Ford said in an email to Ankeny Patch. “You feel violated knowing you have your cards, and someone was able to access your money without it.”

Alicia Eichmeier of Ankeny had two unauthorized withdrawals from her account – one for $300, the other for $200. Both were made in Burbank, Calif.

Wells-Fargo, Eichmeier’s bank, canceled her card immediately after she received a call from the bank’s fraud department. The bank also replaced the money taken from her account.

“It’s been nerve-wracking, especially given this is our main checking account that is used for household expenses,” Eichmeier said in an email.

Ford contacted her credit union to file a dispute. She was told her debit cards would be canceled right away and the money hopefully would be in her account by the end of the week. Luckily, she said, it was back by the next day.

But Ford keeps checking her accounts just to make sure all the money is where it should be. She also plans to use her the credit option on her debit card from now on.

Eichmeier agreed with Ford and encourages others to check their accounts regularly.

“Report any suspicious activity right away,” she said.