An ex-employee of a payday loan organization in Oklahoma City (OKC) is now being charged with three instances of identity theft for allegedly exploiting information from loan applicants during her tenure in 2023. She is additionally facing charges for purported embezzlement from her work workplace’s secure storage facility.
“It’s clear she needs to face the consequences, considering the severe situation she’s put me in,” remarked Aron Troutt, one of the affected parties.
According to court documents, Tytianna Woods was employed at Sun Loan located at 2713 Southwest 29th Street in OKC back in 2023.
The documentation suggests that around July 26, Woods manipulated the personal information of certain loan applicants – their names, addresses, dates of birth, and social security numbers – to secure loans, subsequently pocketing the money intended for the victims.
By July 29, she purportedly carried out the same fraudulent act, this time seizing cash via a loan under Amber Williams’ identity.
Interview of two out of the three victims conducted by KFOR on Friday. {KFOR}
Williams was shocked by the incident, asserting, “I never applied for a loan at that organization. It’s baffling why someone would unlawfully take money from innocent people who are just trying to make ends meet.”
But Woods didn’t stop there. She leveraged Troutt’s identity to fraudulently secure another loan. Troutt only became aware of the situation when she received a call claiming that she had defaulted on a loan.
“Several weeks later, I received a call from the loan company claiming that I had neglected to repay a $5,000 loan. I insisted that I had done no such thing, but the caller was adamant, arguing that I had personally visited the outlet, signed the necessary paperwork and consented to the loan. I reaffirmed my truth, encouraging them to verify through their video surveillance since I had never set foot in their facility. I further mentioned my online loan application with them had been rejected previously,” recounted Troutt.
Troutt stated that a subsequent phone call from the company confirmed that the fraudster was indeed a former employee.
“Following the incident, my credit score plummeted significantly. To rectify the error on my credit report, I was advised to lodge a formal dispute with the credit bureau. The bureau, in turn, required me to file a police report. So, I’ve lodged a complaint, and now I wait for the necessary adjustments to my credit score, which in the meantime remains hampered,” said Troutt.
Williams shared a similar experience, her credit rating taking a severe hit and having to report the fraud to the credit bureau to initiate the process for re-establishing her credit.
“My credit score dropped by about 90 points. I had to raise three fraud alerts with the credit bureau and go through the process of filing an appeal to restore my identity, a process that will reportedly take about two months. I think practices that allow company employees to misuse client details must be stopped,” conveyed Williams.
The third victim could not be reached by News 4 for comment.
Picture of the Sun Loan branch in Southwest OKC. {KFOR}
The court papers further indicate that Woods reportedly embezzled a sum of $4,821.21 from Sun Loan’s safe during her time as a Loan Officer. Following the doubtful disappearance of the cash, Woods refrained from attending work without giving any notice or reason.
After Woods’ departure, another employee was assigned to contact all her previous loan holders. The court documents note that all three victims denied having applied for an additional loan, instead providing proof of repayment for their original loan.
According to the report, Sun Loan has returned the money falsely loaned and removed the credit inquiries from the victims records. However, the adverse effect on the victims’ credit history still remains.
“I’m dumbfounded as to how they let her be part of the organization. She should not be permitted to work in an environment involving money and sensitive personal information, let alone be trusted with safe codes. They’re virtually handing out everyone’s information,” exclaimed Troutt.
“I just hope she won’t repeat this with anyone else,” expressed Williams.
Law enforcement issued an arrest warrant for Woods on Wednesday. She is now facing three counts of identity theft and one count of embezzlement. The bail bond, if arrested, is indicated to be set at $20,000 according to official documents.
News 4 made attempts to make contact at two addresses on record for Woods, but without success; one of the residences appeared to be securely boarded up.
News 4 also reached out to the Sun Loan branch where the accused had been employed. However, the staff there were unable to comment on the matter.
On their official website, Sun Loan notes that in case anyone wishes to dispute information provided to a credit reporting agency, they should get in touch with a Brundage Management Company, Inc. News 4 followed up with an email, but has not yet received a response.
