The Minnesota Vikings selected Dallas Turner in the first round of last year’s NFL Draft. They traded up to get the former Alabama product, tabbing him as the future of the defensive unit. The Vikings head to training camp in a few weeks, and Turner’s wallet will be a little lighter. He was the victim of a bank scam that caused him to lose out on a massive amount of money.
Minnesota Vikings’ Dallas Turner Victim Of Bank Scam
Paul Walsh of the Minnesota Star-Tribune reported the unfortunate incident. Millions of Americans are scammed every year by various schemes, and Turner fell victim. In total, Dallas Turner lost $240,000, almost a quarter of a million dollars. Walsh said this in his story.
“The affidavit states that Turner was contacted over the phone by an individual impersonating a JPMorgan Chase banker on Feb. 19, with the scammer claiming there was someone attempting to impersonate Turner at a Chase Bank branch in Arizona. The fraudster allegedly told Turner that the person in Arizona presented two forms of identification in order to execute a wire transfer.
“The caller instructed the victim to immediately transfer his funds to two separate business accounts to ‘protect’ them from the fraudulent activity,” the affidavit says.”
The scammer was somehow able to obtain lots of private information on the Minnesota Vikings’ young star, making the request for hundreds of thousands of dollars seem more legitimate. Reports indicate Turner has recovered a small percentage of the money and is working with authorities to catch the scammers.
Sad Situation
There are not many ways the average American can relate to an NFL player. Many people can relate to what Dallas Turner is going through. The Federal Trade Commission said that 2.6 million people reported being scammed out of money, totaling a whopping $12.5 billion. The Minnesota Vikings, like many institutions, offer training on how to avoid fraud. NFL players are targets for scammers because of the amount of money they make.
Final Thoughts
The hope is that Turner can get his money back. It is a sad situation that too many people get involved in. Stay safe out there, and always be wary of people you do not know on the phone.
