Imagine someone coming into your house, paying you pennies for your most valuable stuff, and then selling it for a huge profit.

Many would call that a rip-off, and that's exactly what the TODAY'S TMJ4 I-Team says is happening at houses all over southeast Wisconsin.

We discovered families that lost loved ones or moved them into nursing homes may have been taken advantage of. When they went to sell family possessions, they were cheated out of the profit by the person who was hired to help them.

It can be a tough time when a loved one dies or needs to be moved out. Everything inside their home is sold.

Each year, thousands of Wisconsin families hire estate sale companies to handle the details and conduct the sales. We've discovered that some of those families may be getting cheated.

Bob's family was one of them.

"It's surreal. You can't believe that someone would do that in that hour of need, when you're most vulnerable," Bob said.

The I-Team caught up with the woman, Sheri Kiekhofer, who some say is doing wrong.

John Mercure: "They say all these things, many of these things that you sold on eBay were things that were in that estate."

"No.No," Kiekhofer said.

On a recent day, the I-Team found Kiekhofer doing what she's done hundreds of times: working an estate sale for Treasure Traders of Elm Grove. Many former employees say over the years Kiekhofer has gotten much more than she should from working estate sales: antique toys, knick knacks, art, china, vases, old pictures, sporting goods.

Several sources say that if it was valuable, Kiekhofer would price it cheap, buy it herself and re-sell it for lots of cash.

Kiekhofer denies it all.

John Mercure: "You haven't bought things at estate sales and then sold them on eBay?"

"Nope," Kiekhofer said.

John Mercure: "Never?"

"Nope," Kiekhofer said.

That's not true.

Over the course of several years, there were dozens of items that Kiekhofer bought at estate sales and later sold on eBay. We found a fishing lure that was in a Milwaukee estate sale. Kiekhofer bought it there for less than $25. She turned around and sold it on eBay for $910.

That's money that should have gone to the family.

The son in that family, who we're calling Bob, wanted to stay anonymous. He's outraged.

"I figured, 'Hey, they'll do what they can. They'll get the best amount of money for that as possible.' Well, evidently they did, but the business didn't see it. I didn't see it, and you just feel betrayed," Bob said.

Kiekhofer denies that she bought the lure at Bob's estate sale.

John Mercure: "We talked to the people who owned that estate and they said it came from there."

"Hmmm-Hmmm," Kiekhofer said.

John Mercure: "They say it was theirs."

"No. Not a chance," Kiekhofer said.

Bob says Kiekhofer is lying.

John Mercure: "When you look at that fishing lure, is that something that was in your estate?"

"Yes it was. I had that for many, many years," Bob said.

It's not just the lure. Bob identified several other family heirlooms that were sold by Kiekhofer on eBay. Some of them sold for hundreds of dollars.

John Mercure: "So what do you say if families we're talking to say, 'Yeah, that was in my family and it got sold on eBay?'"

"I don't know. I really... I don't know what to tell you," Kiekhofer said.

This is how several current and former Treasure Trader employees tell us Kiekhofer would run things: They claim she identifies valuable items, buys them on the cheap before the estate sale begins and sells them on eBay for big money.

It's money that she, not the families, pockets.

Adam is a former Treasure Trader employee.

"There's a big problem with that. It shouldn't happen. It just shouldn't happen. She's the first one to walk through the house and say, 'Oh, I like this one over here. I'm going to sell this on eBay,'" Adam said.

The I-Team obtained a copy of a Treasure Trader policy agreement. It says, "Under no circumstance will a sales associate be allowed to price an item she is interested in purchasing."

A former employee said, "Sheri routinely priced items she wanted to buy."

The agreement also says, "Sales associates will not be permitted to put aside items they wish to purchase on the day of pricing."

A current employee said, "Sheri did this at almost every sale, hiding things in the bathroom."

The agreement, that we obtained a copy of, was signed by Kiekhofer.

Bob is angry.

"I guess the big question is, 'How can that person sleep at night?'" Bob said.

John Mercure: "So, if you're buying things pretty inexpensive and selling them for lots of money on eBay, isn't that money the family should be getting here at the estate sale?"

"Not necessarily. I've also bought things at times and you don't make any money on it, so I don't know," Kiekhofer said.

The owner of Treasure Traders, Cathy Neuberger, declined our requests for an interview, but in a statement to TODAY'S TMJ4 she wrote, "I had no knowledge that Sheri Kiekhofer was selling any items she purchased from our estate sales. I am very disappointed to learn this may have happened. Any sales associate is subject to dismissal if they remove an item from a sale without first being written up for it by one of the owners."

Several employees claim Kiekhofer has victimized multiple families.

Adam says the eBay records tell the tale.

"I would feel pretty well cheated if I was the owner of the estate that they have one employee there selling eBay trying to make money for themselves," Adam said.

Bob feels violated.

"You cheated people, basically took it out when they're most vulnerable and shafted 'em when they're not looking. That's wrong and you need to pay for it," Bob said.

Kiekhofer is unapologetic.

John Mercure: "Isn't money that should be going to the estates of these poor people ending up in your pocket because you sell it on eBay?"

"To some degree I guess," Kiekhofer said.

Is Kiekhofer literally a thief?

The Milwaukee County district attorney has to make the decision on whether she should be charged with a crime.