A Rap Crew Is Accused In $4 Million Covid Fraud. Did They Buy American Identities From A Huge Surveillance Database?

Eight members of a New York rap crew called the Woo Gang were arrested last week, alleged to have perpetrated a Covid benefits fraud to the tune of $4 million. It was one of the more eye-catching identity theft crimes of the last year, in large part down to the defendants’ alleged flaunting of their criminal proceeds on social media, fanning cash and posing next to luxury cars, as shown in the government’s complaint against those charged.

“Yoo bro I need NY pros with the DL ASAP,” wrote one of the Woo Gang crew, according to the government account. “Is 150,” Skyscraper responded. The initials TLO featured in Skyscraper’s Telegram profile are significant. They make up the name of a surveillance tool used by local and federal police, as well as reporters and private investigators. Made by TransUnion and the product of a charismatic Big Data surveillance businessman named Hank Asher in the 1990s, TLO, or TLOxp as the latest iteration is called, is essentially an ever-growing, huge database containing vast amounts of personal data.

The rap crew accused of Covid fraud showed off cash and luxury cars on their social media accounts, according to the Justice Department.Thanks to its potential to become a goldmine for identity fraudsters, it’s supposed to be protected from criminal use. But, asForbesrap crew in North Carolina managed to get access to a TLO data tap and used the information to commit identity theft

Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)

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