OREM — An Orem man was arrested Thursday and charged with using credit card numbers he obtained through his job at a Provo medical clinic.
The 25-year-old man was an accounts receivable clerk at Central Utah Medical Clinic and helped clients set up payment plans for medical services, said Central Utah Medical Clinic CEO Scott Barlow.
"We are still exploring the scope of what he did," Barlow said. "All we know is he would write down information on some of the accounts ... on Post-it notes."
The man allegedly would record customers' credit card numbers then use those numbers to pay for personal items, according to a police report filed in 4th District Court.
The issue came to light when a patient contacted the clinic with some concern about activity on his bank account, Barlow said. Because of privacy laws, Barlow could not comment about the patient's complaint in detail.
The clinic then turned the case over to the police, Barlow said.
The most recent activity, according to the police report, was Aug. 1 when a man posed as someone else and used that person's credit card number to have almost $200 of work done on his car.
Barlow said the employee never had physical possession of any cards, just numbers.
The mechanic noted the man's personalized license plate and vehicle number and were able to identify him through a photo lineup, which police later provided.
After Provo police officers contacted the man, he admitted to taking 15 credit card numbers from his work, but he said he hadn't used all of them, according to the police report.
The man, who had worked at the clinic less than a year, came highly recommended with a spotless record, Barlow said.
The man also told Judge Samuel McVey during a bail hearing Friday morning he had no criminal history nor other pending charges.
"This has been kind of a shock to us," Barlow said. "Patient trust is so important to us in our business, so it's . . . been really troubling."
Barlow emphasized that the clinic's strict policies helped them find the problem quickly, and he believes only a small handful of clients' numbers were taken. He said they are working quickly to ensure that the problem is solved.
The man was arrested for investigation of wrongful acquisition of a credit card, wrongful use and wrongful signing of a credit card, as well as identity fraud.
Bail was set at $1,000 cash or bond, and the man will be in court again on Aug. 18.
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