Identity theft strikes Ohio clinic, clients lose thousands

Kettering, Ohio — Michael Rohrer had worked the front desk at Kettering Animal Hospital near Dayton, Ohio, for only a few months when police paid him a visit.

As several credit-card theft complaints started coming in to police in nearby Oakwood in August, detectives discovered that all the victims had visited Kettering Animal Hospital with their pets.

Police accuse Rohrer, 23, of making copies of customer's credit cards, allegedly to pay for lavish hotel rooms, airline tickets and cosmetics.

The total theft is now estimated at $45,000 since the case was first reported in late August. So far, 13 people have reported illegal activity with their credt cards, says Oakwood Capt. Randy Baldridge.

Though Rohrer has not been officially arrested, Baldridge says he was fired from his job when the investigation began. He awaits a grand jury hearing on a number of fraud and theft charges.

Kettering Animal Hospital's owner Dr. Dennis Kulasa could not be reached for comment, but Baldridge says the practice sent letters to clients alerting them to the problem.

Having clients end up as victims is a hard way to learn a lesson, but Baldridge says he knows the practice already has made some changes to keep something like this from happening again.

"I know one thing they changed is this gentleman had the opportunity to take the card and go in the back room. The new policy is to never leave sight of the customer with the card. I think making an internal policy where the employees handle money and credit cards in the presence of the customer is wise," Baldridge says. "Many smaller businesses hire an individual and don't do a substantial background check. But, unfortunately, you have the occasional person who intends on making the easy buck and instead of working they try to find ways to scam others."