Nunn, Iowa Leaders Highlight $1 Million Wapello County Scam, Urge Senate to Pass GUARD Act

Subscribe For Newsletter Updates! M About Blog News Priorities Issues Sponsored Legislation SHARE YOUR OPINION: 2025 Farm Bill SHARE YOUR OPINION: What are your priorities? 21 County Tours Serving You Get help with a Federal Agency Service Academy Nominations Visit DC Grant Program Application Internships Commendations and Greetings Congressional App Challenge Purchase a Flag Help for Veterans Mobile Office Hours Iowa Medal of Merit Contact Email Zach Get E-Mail Updates Office Locations Website Problem Follow Follow Follow Follow Oct 14, 2026 | Helping Families & Kids , Keeping Our Country Safe , Press Releases Nunn, Iowa Leaders Highlight $1 Million Wapello County Scam, Urge Senate to Pass GUARD Act OTTUMWA, IA — Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03) today joined Wapello County Sheriff Don Phillips, Ottumwa Mayor Ben Foote, Iowa Bankers Association Chair Melissa Spurgin, and other local leaders to urge Senate passage of his bipartisan Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception (GUARD) Act , which passed the U.S. House of Representatives 414-7 in September. At a press conference on a Wapello County farm, Rep. Nunn highlighted the case of a local farmer who lost his life savings to a romance scam and how the GUARD Act would help sheriffs’ offices like Wapello County’s investigate financial fraud. “Scammers stole more than $1 million from a Wapello County farmer who spent a lifetime earning it. His case showed why local deputies need better tools to trace stolen money and pursue the criminals behind these schemes,” said Rep. Nunn . “I introduced the GUARD Act because Iowa law enforcement asked for the resources to follow the money and hold these criminals accountable. We delivered overwhelming bipartisan support in the House. Now the Senate must finish the job, send this bill to the President’s desk, and ensure Iowans can retire with confidence that the savings they earned are protected.” In 2024, scammers using a fake Instagram account spent months gaining the farmer’s trust and took more than $1 million, his entire life savings. When they learned he still had money left, they sent two men from New York to collect it in person. Sheriff Phillips and his deputies arrested both men on their second trip to Wapello County, but by then the money was gone, and the people running the scheme were overseas. According to the FBI, Iowans lost $96 million to fraud in 2025, an increase of more than 85 percent from the year before. Many of those cases fall to local sheriffs and police departments, which often lack the tools to trace money if it’s converted to cryptocurrency or leaves the country entirely. The GUARD Act would allow state, local, and Tribal law enforcement to use existing federal grant funding for fraud investigations, financial analysis software, and specialized training, without authorizing new federal spending. It would also clarify how federal agencies can help local investigators use blockchain tracing tools to recover stolen savings. Iowa law officials and financial leaders spoke in support of the GUARD Act : “When criminals use technology and international networks to steal from our citizens, local law enforcement needs the resources and partnerships to follow the money and pursue those responsible—no matter where the investigation leads,” said Wapello County Sheriff Don Phillips . “The GUARD Act would help us do exactly that, and the Senate needs to pass it before another Iowa family loses a lifetime of savings.” “Thank you, Congressman Nunn, for your leadership and commitment to combating financial fraud,” said Melissa Spurgin, First Iowa State Bank chief financial officer and Iowa Bankers Association chair . “Iowa’s banking industry works every day to educate customers and stop fraud. The GUARD Act will strengthen these efforts by providing the necessary tools and resources to fight financial fraud and hold fraudsters accountable.” “The GUARD Act presented by Congressman Nunn allows the city of Ottumwa to take what we are working on with awareness and education and move into action with the resources necessary to bring justice to those that would prey on the innocent, unsuspecting citizens,” said Ottumwa Mayor Ben Foote . “The Senate needs to protect the innocent and get this bill to the President’s desk.” “No one should spend a lifetime working, saving, and building a future in Wapello County only to have a scammer steal it all at a moment’s notice. We’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact these crimes have on our residents and families, and our local law enforcement officers need more resources to fight back,” said Wapello County Supervisor Carrie Teninty . “Congressman Nunn’s GUARD Act would strengthen the partnerships between local law enforcement and federal investigators to help bring those criminals to justice — and the Senate needs to do its job and get this bill to the President’s desk.” The GUARD Act passed the House Financial Services Committee unanimously in May and advanced throu