The rapper and social media personality Punchmade Dev is perhaps best known for his flashy videos singing the praises of a cybercrime lifestyle.
There wasn't much to support a conclusion that Punchmade was actually doing the cybercrime things he promotes in his songs.
Images from Punchmade Dev's Twitter/X account show him displaying bags of cash and wearing a functional diamond-crusted payment card skimmer.
Punchmade shared on social media that the video's removal was prompted by YouTube receiving a legal process request from law enforcement officials.
The 24-year-old rapper told reporters he wasn't instructing people how to conduct wire fraud, but instead informing his fans on how to avoid being victims of wire fraud.
This is difficult to discern from listening to the song, which sounds very much like a step-by-step tutorial on how to commit wire fraud.
Even though we're talking about an individual who regularly appears in videos wearing a half-million dollars worth of custom jewelry draped around his arm and neck, there's never been much evidence that Punchmade was actually involved in committing cybercrimes himself.
That changed recently when Punchmade's various video and social media accounts began promoting a new web shop that is selling stolen payment cards and identity data, as well as hacked financial accounts and software for producing counterfeit checks.
The official Punchmadedev account on Instagram links to many of the aforementioned rap videos and tutorials on cybercriming, as well as to Punchmadedev's other profiles and websites.
Io, which is currently selling hacked bank accounts and payment cards with high balances.
Purchases can be made in cryptocurrencies, and checking out prompts one to continue payment at Coinbase.com.
Punchmade has fashioned his public persona around a collection of custom-made, diamond-covered necklaces that are as outlandish and gaudy as they are revelatory.
Notice the University of Kentucky logo, and the Lexington, Ky skyline.
One of them includes the logo and mascot of the University of Kentucky.
The profile explains that he launched his own record label in 2021 called Punchmade Records, where he produces his own instrumentals and edits his own music videos.
Which is registered to a Devon Turner in Lexington, Ky. A copy of this site at archive.org indicates it once sold Punchmade Dev-branded t-shirts and other merchandise.
Mr. Turner did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Brainjuiceofficial says Turner was born in October 2000, the oldest child of a single mother of five whose husband was not in the picture.
The video says the six-foot five Turner played basketball, track and football in high school, but that he gradually became obsessed with playing the video game NBA 2K17 and building a following of people watching him play the game competitively online.
According to this brief documentary, Turner previously streamed his NBA 2K17 videos on a YouTube channel called DevTakeFlight, although he originally went by the nickname OBN Dev.
This Cyber News was published on krebsonsecurity.com. Publication date: Wed, 17 Jan 2024 17:10:28 +0000