VICE - Gangs on the Dark Web: Credit Card Scammers
(4.5 Million Views)
Credit card fraud has been on the rise for about a decade. In 2016 alone, losses topped $24 billion worldwide, half of which affected cardholders in the US. The drug game is old news for some young hustlers, and credit card fraud (cracking cards) has taken its place. With a virtually unlimited amount of money to be made scamming, some tech-savvy criminals have turned ripping off credit card numbers into a full-time gig. VICE met up with a scammer for an inside look at the shady underground profession.
Role: Cinematographer, Associate Producer
Over 6.2 million views on VICE’s Facebook and over 119,000 shares - a credit card scammer explains how he makes thousands in one day. He walked us through the process, showing us how he buys stolen accounts on the dark web, prints pilfered numbers on blank cards, and buys thousands of dollars worth of goods with stolen money. He also explained why he got into the game in the first place—and what it would take for him to get out.
In our first episode, Gonzo decides to exploit the fear and loathing surrounding the chaos of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and criminal convictions in New York City, discovering a moral conundrum between media, politics, and the American Dream.
Gonzo hustles to get the inside scoop and the perfect sensational content: talking to everyday New Yorkers about their fears; interviewing Councilman Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated 5, who sues Trump for lies during the presidential debates; even hiring ex-Congressman George Santos, who faces multiple criminal convictions, to do his bidding as GONZOVISION’s political correspondent on Halloween, days before the election.
After Trump wins, Gonzo reports at the president-elect’s criminal sentencing in New York City, and discovers just how powerful the fear and loathing is, as George faces his fate… but is ultimately freed from prison by President Trump, and shares his Gonzo reporting on Halloween in 2025, teasing the next episode.
