Scam victim tricked into stealing $200,000 for scammers, police say

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) - Police say an Iowa man who once lost thousands to a phone scam thought he was being vigilant, but he was tricked again, this time into working for the scammers.

Loren Esse is facing charges for his alleged participation in a money laundering scheme. Police say he was tricked into working for scammers, who convinced him they were a government agency investigating cybercrime.

“He started out in this case as a victim. But as he continued on, moving this money through these accounts and putting the cash into bitcoin and sending it on, what we realized was that he’s actually helping them facilitate this crime unknowingly,” said Des Moines Police Department Sgt. Paul Parizek.

Police say officers warned Esse to stop helping the scammers, but he was convinced they were legitimate. Eventually, they say the only way to stop him was through his arrest.

“There’s no detectives high fiving each other over this. This is not something we are excited about. These scammers are very convincing,” Parizek said.

Police say Esse sent scammers around $200,000 he had obtained from other people.

Scammers demand wire transfers, cryptocurrency transactions and even gift cards as payment to solve fake issues, often posing as legitimate agencies.

“Unless you’ve got a police officer or a legit government official standing in front of you, I wouldn’t trust anybody on that phone,” Parizek said.

Police estimate phone scams have resulted in the theft of $500,000 from the Des Moines metro area.

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