When Trust Is Stolen: The Real Dangers of Fake Nurses in Healthcare

In August 2025, the nursing profession was rocked by the revelation that a Baltimore County woman had spent nearly four years working as a nurse without ever earning the right to do so. Thomasina E. Amponsah, age 50, admitted to posing as both a registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical nurse (LPN) at more than 40 healthcare facilities across Maryland. She obtained these positions using stolen license numbers and falsified credentials—an elaborate scheme that not only defrauded hospitals and government programs but also placed patient lives directly at risk.

For nearly four years—from September 2019 to August 2023—Amponsah slipped through the cracks of a system meant to protect patients. She collected over $100,000 in fraudulent wages, funds ultimately billed to Medicare, Medicaid, and unsuspecting healthcare facilities. In one instance, she even forged a physician’s signature to obtain a prescription for Tramadol, a controlled substance.

How the Scheme Worked

Amponsah’s deception was sophisticated. She used the professional license numbers of real nurses, crafting fake résumés that claimed she had degrees from Florida State University and extensive supervisory experience. On paper, she looked like the kind of experienced professional facilities were desperate to hire in a climate of chronic nurse shortages.

But behind the credentials was someone with no formal nursing education or training. According to federal investigators, she repeatedly passed through onboarding processes without detection, filling staffing gaps in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and rehabilitation centers across the state.

The Human Cost of Fraud

The story is more than a financial crime—it’s a profound breach of trust. Patients believed they were receiving care from a licensed professional. Families assumed their loved ones were in qualified hands. Real nurses whose identities were stolen had to live with the knowledge that their names had been used to commit fraud, potentially damaging their reputations and careers.

Cases like this one strike at the very heart of healthcare: trust. When someone impersonates a nurse, the entire profession suffers. Nurses work tirelessly to build credibility and respect, but stories of fraud chip away at public confidence in a system already strained by burnout and shortages.

Why Did This Happen? The Role of the Nurse Shortage

It’s easy to ask how a person could pose as a nurse for nearly four years without being caught. The answer lies partly in timing. Amponsah began impersonating nurses in September 2019—just months before the COVID-19 pandemic upended the healthcare system.

As the pandemic hit in 2020, hospitals and long-term care facilities were overwhelmed. Staff were stretched thin, patient loads skyrocketed, and administrators were scrambling just to keep enough caregivers on each shift. In the midst of that chaos, the usual hiring safeguards became harder to enforce.

Facilities under extreme stress were often forced to fill positions quickly. In some cases, that meant fast-tracking résumés, skipping deeper verification checks, or trusting agency placements at face value. This atmosphere of desperation created an opening for fraud. Amponsah used stolen license numbers, polished but falsified résumés, and forged documents to pass as a professional nurse at a time when facilities were too strained to question what seemed like a solution to their staffing crisis.

While the pandemic doesn’t excuse what happened, it helps explain why her deception lasted for years. It’s a sobering reminder that the more strained the system becomes, the more vulnerable it is to breaches of trust.

Lessons for the Healthcare System

The Amponsah case highlights urgent vulnerabilities in credentialing and hiring. Facilities must take stronger measures to ensure the people wearing scrubs and carrying credentials are who they say they are. Verification should never stop at a résumé. State nursing boards, verification databases like Nursys, and cross-checks of photo IDs and license expirations must be standard practice—not optional steps.

It also underscores the need for national reforms. Stricter penalties for credential fraud, consistent hiring protocols across states, and investments in verification systems can help prevent another imposter from slipping into a role that demands both skill and accountability.

5 Red Flags Facilities Should Never Ignore

Even in times of desperate staffing shortages, healthcare facilities cannot afford to cut corners on credential verification. Here are five signs that should immediately raise concern:

1. Inconsistent or suspicious paperwork – Degrees or dates that don’t line up should always be verified.
2. License numbers that don’t match records – Check directly with state boards or the Nursys database.
3. Unwillingness to provide proper identification – Resistance to showing ID or license cards is a clear warning.
4. Gaps or ‘too good to be true’ experience – Inflated résumés without solid references need further investigation.
5. Rushed hiring or agency pressure – Desperation should never replace due diligence. Cutting corners invites risk.

“Trust is the foundation of healthcare. Verification protects not only patients, but also the credibility of the nurses who have earned their place at the bedside.”
(Nurse Mosaic)

Final Thought from Nurse Mosaic

At Nurse Mosaic, we believe stories like this are a wake-up call—not just for facilities, but for all of us who hold nursing close to our hearts.

Nurses earn their titles through years of study, sleepless nights, and selfless service. To impersonate that is more than fraud—it’s theft of trust, dignity, and the sacred bond between nurse and patient.

This case should never be seen as a reflection of nursing itself, but as proof of why systems must do better to protect both patients and the professionals who serve them. Nurses are the backbone of healthcare. Safeguarding their credentials means safeguarding the care of every patient they touch.

~ Nurse Mosaic Team

Resources

– U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General. (2025). Baltimore County Woman Admits to Impersonating Nurses, Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Identity Theft.
– The BayNet. (2025). Maryland Woman Pleads Guilty to Posing as Nurse at 40+ Facilities Using Stolen Licenses.
– NottinghamMD. (2025). Baltimore County Woman Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Identity Theft.