DAPHNE, Ala. — An unknown female suspect has stayed one step ahead of authorities ever since she began a scheme more than a month ago to steal the identity of women while withdrawing money from their bank accounts.

Daphne police Detective Jason Vannoy said the suspect has at least attempted to cash checks for more than $100,000, with some attempts being successful.

Vannoy said the suspect’s method is to break into their cars to steal identification and a checkbook, and then she heads to the victim’s bank.

“She attempts to look like (the victim) to pass herself off at the bank as that person,” Vannoy said. “I have never seen anything like this before. I don’t know if it’s a brand new thing, but it’s definitely the first time I’ve seen it this involved.”

The Secret Service is now involved in the search for the suspect, Vannoy said, because there are at least six victims.

“There’s (a victim) in Daphne, one in Robertsdale, one in Mobile, several in the Atlanta area and one in Florida,” Vannoy said, noting that Daphne police are still involved and are reviewing video footage.

Vannoy said he thinks they are getting closer to knowing the suspect’s identity, because with each indicent’s surveillance video “there’s more to look at.”

He said the most recent occurrence of a stolen identity was in Destin, Fla., earlier this month, but he didn’t know the exact date.

The Daphne Police Department reported that on Dec. 14 a Daphne woman’s Chevy Tahoe was broken into, and the victim’s purse was stolen from the car, which included her driver’s license and business checks. The suspect allegedly attempted to steal more than $75,000 from the woman’s business account at two Wells Fargo branches in Birmingham.

Vannoy said the same woman is responsible.

“We don’t know that she broke into the Tahoe, but we do know that she was the woman trying to use the checks to get money from the victim’s account.”