Wrecords by Monkey Asks for Help in the Wake of Fraud
Wrecords by Monkey is a small, Brooklyn-based business that makes things out of reclaimed vinyl records. Their inventory includes everything from bracelets to analog wall clocks emblazoned with each of the five boroughs. Recently, Wrecords by Monkey was the victim of an international credit card fraud scheme based in Sweden and carried out via Square, leaving Wrecords by Monkey to repay thousands of dollars in fraudulent credit card purchases.
Wrecords by Monkey’s founder, Patrick Chirico, has set up a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of raising the $16,000 they now owe. The campaign includes an extensive explanation of the exact fraud scheme perpetrated against Wrecords by Monkey, as well as information on the individuals and companies most at risk for this sort of fraud and what can be done to prevent it.
Donation levels ranging from $20 to $1,000 include generous rewards for funders, including a piece of anti-fraud wall art at even the lowest level. The money raised by Wrecords by Monkey supporters will go to saving a small business in Brooklyn from folding as a result of one criminal cruelly taking advantage of the trust and vulnerability of a small business. The campaign is already more than 25 percent funded as of this writing.
One especially affecting aspect of Wrecords by Monkey’s story is the recent birth of Chirico’s son, in the midst of the company’s fraud nightmare. The GoFundMe site wisely includes a picture of Chirico with his newborn, underscoring the human element of the small company’s plight with a very small human.
A donation of $50 will get you a vinyl Brooklyn wall clock, two record bracelets, a piece of vinyl anti-fraud wall art, and a fraud-avoidance tip sheet. It’s like shopping, but for someone else’s benefit.
Follow John Sherman on Twitter @_john_sherman.
