Woman arrested for allegedly pretending to be her mother to take money from bank account

BUCKHANNON – A Buckhannon woman was arrested after she allegedly took $660.22 from her mother’s checking account.

Kelcee Fortney, 26, of Buckhannon was arrested for nine charges of fraudulent use of an access device, a felony.  

According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by investigating officer deputy Dakota Linger with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, on Dec. 10, 2022, Linger received a statement from the victim. She said her daughter, Fortney, was taking money from her personal checking account without permission.

The victim told Linger this had also happened earlier this year, when her daughter took a large amount of money without permission, so she had canceled that account and opened a new one on Sept. 13, 2022.

“The victim advised that her daughter knows her Social Security number, pretended to be the victim and gained access to her account, and made several transfers via a mobile app,” Linger wrote in the complaint.

The victim provided Linger with statements from the bank where Fortney allegedly withdrew money on nine occasions in October 2022, totaling $660.22.

Bail was set at $25,000 cash only.

The potential penalty for fraudulent use of an access device is confinement in the penitentiary for not more than 10 years, a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

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