ARDMORE, Okla. — A routine loan request uncovered a major fraud case involving three suspects from Texas, authorities said Thursday.
Ardmore police report that Ryan Morgan led the scheme, attempting to obtain a $2,500 loan for supposed auto repairs. Investigators say discrepancies in Morgan’s personal information raised red flags.
“His middle name didn’t match, the birth date was off, and he claimed it was his father’s information,” said Farrah Buck, assistant manager at Regional Finance. Employees quickly discovered Morgan was using a Florida man’s Social Security number and a fake ID.
Employees alerted police, who were waiting when Morgan returned to the branch. “The actual owner of the Social Security number said he’d been dealing with this all month,” Buck said. Sgt. Matt Dunn of the Ardmore Police Department noted that the stolen information could affect an innocent person’s credit report.
Waiting in the parking lot were two women, Samantha Campbell and Rachelle Ball, both wanted in Texas for fraud and forgery. All three were booked into Carter County Jail.
Buck emphasized that scams like this, especially involving fake IDs and stolen Social Security numbers, are common and often span multiple states. “It could be a federal crime if it’s part of a larger, cross-state operation,” she said.
