Have you ever wondered how some individuals can afford to live the lavish lifestyles they display on social media? Well, credit card fraud, may be the answer to the mystery for this New York rap crew. On Tuesday (April 26th), 39 members of the Brooklyn based rap squadron, “Pop Out Boyz” were arrested after running an elaborate credit card scamming ring.
The NYPD’s financial crime division followed the aspiring rappers and their affiliates for a year as they garnered upwards of $250,000 in stolen merchandise from a myriad of high-end stores throughout the tri-state area. The scammers are using a grossly popular credit card scheme called “card cracking.” A card cracking scheme involves fraudsters contacting unsuspecting victims through social networks and offering to deposit money into their bank accounts under false pretenses then promising the account holder a percentage of the deposit. Once the phony check is deposited the fraudster removes the funds and leaves the victim responsible for paying the bank once the check bounces.
Ironically the Pop Out Boyz released a song on Sound Cloud entitled,“For A Scammer”, explicitly detailing their adventures scamming department stores. In the song one member of the group raps, “Turning nothing into something, watch how the commas keep coming, getting it back like it’s nothing, watch the money do a back flip, early morning up at Saks Fifth”. The song is filled with admissions about credit card fraud and the many purchases made including, Nike Air Jordans and Celine bags.
The group was arraigned Tuesday, on nearly a dozen charges related to the year-long fraud escapade including: criminal possession of a forged instrument, conspiracy, grand larceny, and criminal possession of stolen.
Listen to "For A Scammer" in the gallery above.
Source: nypost.com
