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Second-year Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner allegedly lost $240,000 as part of a bank fraud scam, according to reports. Turner, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, fell victim to a phone scam where the perpetrator impersonated a banker at JPMorgan Chase.
Paul Walsh of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports that on Feb. 19, Turner received a call “from an individual impersonating a JP Morgan Chase banker. The caller claimed someone was attempting to impersonate [Turner] at a Chase Bank branch in Arizona and presented two copies of ID to execute a wire transfer.”
According to the report, the caller then directed Turner to immediately transfer his money to two separate business accounts in order to prevent the theft attempt. Turner then went to a Chase Bank branches in Eagan Minnesota and and transferred $120,000 to “Island Food Truck LLC. He then went to a separate Chase Bank branch in West St. Paul and transferred another $120,000 to “CNL FL LLC.”
Police Investigating Bank Fraud Scam That Cost Vikings LB Dallas Turner $240K
According to an affidavit, Turner then spoke with a family member and determined that he may have been the victim of a scam. In April, Turner and his attorney contacted local police to report the incident.
Police Sgt. Rich Evans stated that his department “has identified several suspects,” and is moving forward toward charges being filed. However, Evans also said that only around of $2,500 of the stolen money has been recovered.
Police also reached out to JPMorgan Chase, which launched an internal investigation, to determine how “the fraudster was able to obtain sensitive account details including Dallas’ full name, linked phone numbers and [his] LLC account info” and whether any bank employees played a role in the scheme, the affidavit noted.
Turner signed a four-year, $15.8 million rookie contract with the Vikings, including an $8.28 million signing bonus.