More ID Theft Victims

More ID Theft Victims

Shelley Klabunde and her husband have been dealt a tough hand recently.

"We got a message on our answering machine that we couldn't file our taxes because they were rejected," Klabunde said. "Somebody had already filed them."

They're just two of more than 36 past and present Weather Shield employees who have filed police reports after learning their social security numbers had been used to send in false tax returns.

"I have to file a report with the IRS, with the Credit Bureau, the state of Wisconsin, I had to file the police report, and we had to make sure everything in our bank account is still there," Klabunde said.

Capt. Mark Hull with the Everest Metro Police Department says Klabunde is doing the right thing.

"Contact your local law enforcement so that report can be initiated and so that it can be routed to the proper place," Hull said.

Since the company has multiple plants throughout Marathon County, the reports are sent to the sheriff's department. Law enforcement says they are not taking these identity theft cases lightly, and have given the reports to multiple privacy protection agencies at the federal level.

"It's concerning because of the large amount of information available," Hull said. "When you have a large company, you have a potential for hundreds of victims."

An attorney with Weather Shield also says the company is working closely with investigators to determine the root of the theft. However, since the investigation is still ongoing, they are not able to comment on anything specifically.

Back at the Klabunde's, they say they'll have to wait up to a year to receive their tax refund. It's a heavy burden to carry when both breadwinners are already looking at losing their jobs as the SNE plant in Mosinee closes its doors.

"We were going to use that to pay for my husband's schooling because I'm a vet and they'll pay for mine," Klabunde said.

Now, with few cards left to play, they'll have to rely on unemployment to get by next year.

"Weather Shield really needs to look at what they're doing to their employees because they're hurting us in more ways than one," Klabunde said.

Weather Shield says it has always been forthcoming with information regarding the investigation. The company's attorney says they first learned about the stolen social security numbers on Jan. 30 and sent out a memo to employees on Jan. 31. They also sent out another memo on Feb. 17 and held meetings at each of the plants on Monday.

But since Klabunde is on short-term layoff and her husband only works once a week, they say they've been left in the dark about what's going on.

"They never called us," Klabunde said. "There was no lettter given to us in the mail that this could possibly happen. I heard it basically through word of mouth from other employees."

Past employees are also at risk, but have not been notified by Weather Shield because it says there's no way to know contact information for people who worked there years ago. That's why anyone who thinks they could be at risk should contact the IRS Identity Theft department at 800-908-4490.