Police believe a former mortgage and real estate employee used her access to personal information to apply for credit cards in other people’s names, the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department reported.

Nicola Jo Symonds, 40, of St. Joseph faces six felony charges in connection with the crimes and police are asking anyone who may have had real estate connections with her and discovered they were victims of identity theft to call authorities.

The sheriff’s department and FBI office in St. Joseph received two separate complaints regarding Symonds. The victims, who had supplied personal information to the woman during real estate transactions, discovered that someone had applied for credit cards in their name and used the cards to complete balance transfers, police said.

An investigation reportedly linked the balance transfers to Symonds.

She was employed by Landmark Properties Redevelopment and a Chicago-based mortgage company at the time of the incidents, police said, and is believed to have worked at a real estate office in the New Buffalo/Union Pier area.

Any identity theft victims who had dealings with Symonds should contact Berrien County Detective Sgt. Mike Danneffel.