06/27/2007 12:29 AM ET

BERLIN, Md.- A postal worker in Worcester County is accused of stealing credit and ATM cards from the mail.

The Worcester Bureau of Investigation last week arrested 26-year-old Nikhik Girishbhai Patel of Salisbury on 36 counts of credit card theft and fraud charges.

Court documents show Patel used the cards to withdraw cash from banks and make purchases at a Crisfield store.

Six people were allegedly victimized in Berlin and Ocean Pines.  Police say Patel stole a total of $3,009.

One of those alleged victims is Stacy Trader who has her mail delivered to her parents' house on Georgetown Road in Berlin. After seeing what happened to her daughter, Sharon Trader said she now double checks her mail, especially credit card bills.

"It really teaches you a lesson to keep a close eye on your bills and when they come, make sure they come on time, make sure what you have charged is on your bill," Trader said.

Trader said they learned about the credit card theft after a phone call from the post office.

Trader said her daughter thought she had closed the account but instead it was used four different times last September at the Big Willie's Store in Crisfield.  For Trader, that was a red flag.

"There was no way my daughter was in Crisfield. She's up in Anne Arundel County, and has been for months,"Trader said.

About $250 was stolen from Stacy Trader's credit card.  That company has absorbed the amount in light of the crime.

Patel is out of jail on $15,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Worcester County District Court in Snow Hill on Aug. 3.