Officials: City of LeClaire scammed out of more than $220K

LeCLAIRE, Iowa (AP) — Officials for LeClaire in eastern Iowa say the city was scammed out of more than $220,000 by thieves posing as vendors the city has worked with. The Quad-City Times reports that $222,373 in city funds were sent to three fraudulent accounts that had been disguised to resemble those of legitimate city vendors. Officials say the scam occurred over a four month period starting in November.  City Administrator Ed Choate said the city has recovered $120,618 by freezing the accounts. Choate says the city is continuing to work with the FBI, the city’s bank and its insurance carrier to recover or reach a settlement for the remaining funds amount of about $102,000.