A former employee of Evoke Wellness in Hilliard, Ohio, is facing criminal charges for allegedly stealing and selling the personal data of at least 240 addiction treatment patients, reports Cybernews.
The 33-year-old, who worked at the facility from November 2021 to July 2024, is accused of harvesting sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, birthdates, and home addresses, and selling it on the dark web. Law enforcement believes many of the victims are from central Ohio, but the impact could be nationwide. Stolen identities were used by criminals to buy vehicles, apply for credit cards, and purchase cryptocurrency. The case comes amid broader scrutiny of Evoke Wellness, which was sued by the Federal Trade Commission in January 2025 for running deceptive Google search ads to lure people seeking help for substance abuse. According to the FTC, Evoke used misleading keywords that impersonated other clinics, directing vulnerable individuals to its own call center under false pretenses, raising serious ethical and legal concerns.
The 33-year-old, who worked at the facility from November 2021 to July 2024, is accused of harvesting sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, birthdates, and home addresses, and selling it on the dark web. Law enforcement believes many of the victims are from central Ohio, but the impact could be nationwide. Stolen identities were used by criminals to buy vehicles, apply for credit cards, and purchase cryptocurrency. The case comes amid broader scrutiny of Evoke Wellness, which was sued by the Federal Trade Commission in January 2025 for running deceptive Google search ads to lure people seeking help for substance abuse. According to the FTC, Evoke used misleading keywords that impersonated other clinics, directing vulnerable individuals to its own call center under false pretenses, raising serious ethical and legal concerns.
