NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Police said some hotels around the airport were careless with guests' personal information, and now those guests are victims of identity theft.

"We had an early flight from the airport, stayed at one of the motels, had dinner," said a local victim who is being called Jane to protect her identity.

Her trip to an airport area hotel almost a year ago ended up causing a headache.

"The entire charges amounted to almost $3,000," Jane said. "It makes me mad."

Jane isn't alone. For more than eight months, police have been trying to determine how thieves accessed more than a dozen different credit card lines.

Investigators discovered the key was hotel Dumpsters and William Frelix, who was allegedly sending people to Dumpster-dive for credit card information.

An individual would call Frelix and say that he or she wanted to buy a certain item from a supply store, for example. Frelix would use these stolen credit card numbers, buy the item and sell it to the person for cash at half price, said Metro Police Capt. David Imhof.

Investigators said they caught Glenn Rankorn with a car motor and transmission purchased with stolen credit and Jasper Howard renovating a north Nashville building into a recording studio.

"We captured $3,000 worth of lumber," said Lt. Mickey Garner.

Police said that most of the victims were not from the area, just passing through on trips, but what happened to them could happen to anyone.

"We have notified the hotels in the area about how they discard that information," said Imhof, who recommends shredding the information.

Police would not reveal the names of the hotels involved.

A warrant for identity theft is out on Frelix, and investigators are working to indict both Rankhorn and Howard.