A Buffalo woman who allegedly used information from prospective tenants to steal their identities and open online bank accounts was arrested by federal agents from the U. S. Secret Service, U. S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. reported Monday.

Tancy Taylor, 39, was charged with attempted bank fraud and aggravated identity theft and faces up to 32 years in prison and a$250,000 fine.

Taylor, who was in the process of renting out a home at 460 Monroe St. in Buffalo, is accused of obtaining identifying information from possible tenants, including their Social Security numbers, dates of birth and employer information, according to Assistant U. S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito Jr.

Ippolito said Taylor allegedly used that information to open the bank accounts. In all, more than 100 bank accounts were linked to Taylor and the scheme, federal officials said.

Quick work by bank security officers alerted federal authorities and prevented Taylor from obtaining any money from the banks as the result of her alleged scheme.