MOORESVILLE — A Mooresville woman is charged with stealing credit cards from families who had hired her as a nanny, authorities said.

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office charged 19-year-old Ashleigh Chantel Caldwell with financial card theft and identity theft. She was arrested Oct. 20 after an investigation that lasted nearly month and a half.

On Sept. 8, the agency received information about the accusations. The case was turned over to Detective Sgt. D.R. Getz with the Economic Crime Unit.

According to the incident report, the victims hired a nanny to help with their children while they worked. The victims reported that after the nanny’s first day of work, they noticed that a credit card was missing. After checking their account online, they noticed a fraudulent transaction posted for that day, according to Iredell County sheriff’s officials.

Investigators contacted the business where the stolen credit card was used and found that the fraudulent transaction was in Caldwell’s name and that merchandise was shipped to Caldwell.

Detectives obtained warrants for the arrest of Caldwell. She is charged with one count of felony financial card theft and one count of felony identity theft. She received a $2,500 secured bond and was held in the Iredell County Detention Center.