DALLAS - Authorities arrested an employee at UT Southwestern Medical Center after she allegedly stole patent information and possibly their identities.
Hundreds of patients' personal information - including birth dates, addresses, phone numbers and financial data - was stolen before Tracy Renay Thomas' arrest and termination, police said.
Thomas is accused of stealing that information and then selling it to a third party.
"No," Thomas said when asked if those allegations are true. "I need to call my lawyer."
UT Southwestern recently sent out a mass mailing to 10,000 of its patients, claiming the former employee disclosed patients' information to a third party that intended to use it for credit, loans and open bank accounts.
"I was very upset and scared, obviously, that anyone would have that kind of information on me," said Christi Smith, who was among the 10,000 patients to receive the letter.
While UT Southwestern representatives declined to comment on camera, they claimed 200 patients were actually affected. They are offering free fraud protection to ensure its clients' safety.
Representatives have admitted that when Thomas was hired to work in the financial services department, she did have a prior misdemeanor for theft on her record. She worked at the medical center for six months.
E-mail: sgables@wfaa.com
