'DJs buy music on stolen cards'

Written by mikeyvision on June 11, 2009

A group, including a number of DJs, have been accused of making hundreds of thousands of pounds by buying their own music online with stolen credit cards.

It's alleged the gang put their own music on Apple iTunes and Amazon and spent about £459,000 buying it back - claiming nearly £200,000 in royalties.

Nine people were arrested in London and the Midlands after a joint operation with a new E-crime unit and the FBI.

It's thought the music was sold between September 2008 and January 2009.

The gang are alleged to have used 1,500 stolen credit cards.

Detective Chief Inspector Terry Wilson, from the Met's Police Central E-Crime Unit (PCeU) said: "This has been a complex investigation to establish what we believe to be an international conspiracy to defraud Apple and Amazon.

"We are now making it more risky for criminals who seek to exploit the internet and commit e-crime across national borders."

Police raided addresses in London, Birmingham, Kent and Wolverhampton following the investigation, which started in February.

The nine people arrested are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.