DJ gang 'used stolen credit cards to buy their OWN music on iTunes then pocketed £200,000 in royalties'

A gang of DJs used stolen credit cards to buy their own music on iTunes in a scam that netted about £200,000 in bogus royalties, police said today.



Nine people were arrested after detectives raided properties in London and the Midlands as part of an international operation.

The arrests follow a joint investigation with the FBI that began in February.

Apple boss Steve Jobs. Apple iTunes and Amazon.com were targeted by a gang of musicians who uploaded their music and then used stolen credit cards to buy it

A London DJ is among the gang who police believe uploaded music to Apple iTunes and Amazon.com for sale between September 2008 and January 2009 before spending around £460,000 buying the tracks using 1,500 stolen credit cards.

Apple and Amazon then paid royalties on the sales totalling nearly £200,000, while the gang members enjoyed the added benefit of boosting their position in the music charts.

Detective Chief Inspector Terry Wilson said: 'This has been a complex investigation to establish what we believe to be an international conspiracy to defraud Apple and Amazon.

'This investigation, with its national and international dimension, exemplifies why we have set up this national response to e-crime. It shows the success that can be achieved through our close working relationship with the FBI.

'We are now making it more risky for criminals who seek to exploit the Internet and commit e-crime across national borders. We are working hard through partnership with industry and law enforcement to combat e-crime and are committed to pursuing those responsible.'

It is thought the gang compiled 19 songs to put on the websites and that their songs even attracted the attention of music industry bosses.

The group allegedly paid an annual £18-per-album fee to music distribution service Tunecore to get their albums uploaded onto the sites before downloading them at £6 a time.



Six men and three women were arrested at addresses in London, Birmingham, Kent and Wolverhampton.

All nine are in custody at police stations in London and the Midlands on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.

