Former Ferndale Employee Charged With Identity Theft

FERNDALE, MI — A 25-year-old Detroit woman will stand trial on at least eight felony charges of identity theft and fraud after she allegedly stole credit numbers from Ferndale residents while working as a temporary city customer service representative. Bianka A. Hill waived her preliminary examination at 43rd District Court in Madison Heights on Thursday, according to an Oakland Press report.

Hill many wind up with as many as a dozen charges against her, the newspaper reported. A Ferndale Police investigation is ongoing.

Hill will be tried by Oakland Circuit Court Judge Denise Langford Morris. A trial date hasn’t been established, court records show.

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Ferndale Police were alerted to Hill’s activities by a city resident. She was arrested on Sept. 26 after arriving at work. According to Sgt. Baron Brown, there is no indication that this incident was related to a computer system breach.

“This appears to be directly related to an individual who manually copied credit card information,” Brown said. “If you did not use a credit card for payment of any fees, taxes, or permits at Ferndale City Hall within the last two months, detectives do not believe that your personal information has been compromised.”

Ferndale police allege that Hill spent at least $2,000 using the stolen credit card numbers, the Oakland Press reported.

File photo