Waterloo man arrested in phone scam

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Waterloo man is accused of stealing $10,000 from a man after convincing him to turn over bank cards in a phone scam.

Quenden Hart, 18, is facing charges of second-degree robbery and first-degree theft, according to a news release from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a search warrant filed in the case, a couple in rural Marion called the Linn County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 22 to report the theft. The husband told investigators he had been working with someone he believed was an investigator from his credit union to resolve fraud on his accounts.

He’d received a call from the person the day before and was told to place his financial cards in his mailbox, where they were picked up by someone. He was then directed to take out $10,000 in cash from his account and that the so-called investigator would meet him at his house to verify that he had taken out the money.

The husband showed the money to a young man who came to his house, who law enforcement later identified as Hart. Hart then grabbed the money from the man and got into his car to start driving away. The man tried to grab Hart and ended up being dragged behind the vehicle for a short distance and injured, the warrant request states.

The man later noticed fraudulent ATM withdrawals, totaling $1,150 from the cards he had left in his mailbox Dec. 21, which posted to his account on Dec. 22.

Linn County investigators were able to identify Hart’s vehicle based on a description given by the victim and video footage near the area. The car was registered to Hart’s father, and investigators determined it was Hart who took the money based on the victim’s description of him, according to the release from the sheriff’s office.

Hart’s official charges have not been filed yet in the online courts system and he hasn’t had his first appearance in court. He was arrested Monday on a warrant for second-degree robbery and first-degree theft and is being held in the Linn County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

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