  Ok well to start things out I got busted for Carding (AKA: Credit Card 
Fraud) now this story is not to brag, it's just that this one article I 
wrote got around to a lot of people and everyone keeps emailing me wanting 
to know the story so here it is. And plus, getting busted is nothing to brag
about =)

  How things got started: I got my first computer on March 28 1995. It was a
fast ol Packard Bell p60, 8 meg ram, 540 mb HD. I didn't know anything at 
all about computers. Well of course I learned a lot by just wasting so much 
time on it. Well now past the boring stuff. We finally got the internet! And
yes it was AOL. We got on there about end of May. I was using it so much our
bills was like $50 a month. It got outragous. I didn't go outside and do 
anything, I just played on AOL all day =) So I wanted to get AOL for free.. 
Well I got a IM from someone saying they can make fake accounts.. Well I 
replied and asked what one was and he explained and I though, WOW kick ass! 
Well he wanted a game in trade, which I infact had (Doom II) So I learned 
how to zip it up and send it to him. Well I got my fake account in return, 
and then he gave me a list of rooms I can visit (like warez, warez2 etc etc) 
Well I went there and saw that they trade software there. So I was like "Wow 
free software!" So again, I stayed on AOL for a long time looking for games 
and apps to download. Well I became real educated on AOL warez scene and then 
about in August of 95 I learned about the room carding.

  How my carding began: I go in the room carding asking all these questions
about what carding really was, and of course I learned it was Credit Card 
Fraud. Well at first it seemed very illegal and stupid. Then I learned what 
you can actually do with this information. Well I ended up getting a program 
called Credit Master 3 (Credit Card # generator) now I opened that program 
and though "wow I can order stuff online to a house!" Well then I was 
thinking of a vacant house around here in my neighborhood and I thought of 
one! Well I ended up trying it out that same night.. I turned to HSN and 
ordered this organizer. Well all I had was a Credit Card # and exp date. 
So I made up a name and that address I used was my drop. Beleive it or not 
it worked! Everything worked out, it was suppose to show up in 2 weeks. 
Well I keep checking the house 2 weeks later and nothing is there! Well 
then I got online and let everyone know about that and they said I need the 
name and CC# and exp date in order for it to work. Well I talked to a friend 
on AOL and he hooked me up with one of those. Well I saw some shirts I 
wanted on there and I ordered them off AOL. Well those actually came! I 
couldn't beleive it! Well I got a little to excited and went and told like 3
people at school. Well one of those people wanted to go in on this with me. 
Well I started ordering a lot of things with that card # I had. Well only 
one object came after that. Of all the stuff I attempted to order, only 2 
things came. Well I then got back online and talked to people and then 
they said I would need FULL info on a card in order to ship it. So I 
obtained 3 of them this time.

  Carding expanded to a business: Well after I got all the info I needed I
started to order a LOT! Well I got so much stuff that I needed to get rid 
of it FAST! I was selling $300 items for like $25! So everyone soon became 
my friend. I started to make waiting lists on what I was going to get 
people! The word got around quick! I was getting #'s so easy so I had no 
problem there. I ended up ordering the stuff in bulk. Like Cool Water 
Cologn, I ordered from Fragrance Corner on AOL. Well I order 15 jars of 
that stuff and they all came in ONE box. The next day I sold 13 of those for
$10 each. And 28.8 modems I sold 2 of them for like $20 So basically I made 
NOT enough money, but I had to get rid of the stuff fast! Well it is now 
around Novemeber, I decided to check peoples mailboxes for info. Well come 
to find out I found a lot more than I expected! I ended up finding Credit 
Card bills, which has FULL info except exp. date. But I still used them and 
some of them actually worked. I also found, money, cd's and a lot of other 
interesting stuff. Well the guy who was in this with me went with me one 
day, and we are just walking along and I turn around and see this guy 
walking to us real fast, I say "don't turn around there is a guy following 
us" Well of course he turns arounds and this guy is running real fast at
us! We are on a hill and I am a real slow runner, so I ditched all the mail
I had on me (about 50 of em) and I just run like hell! I ran so fast that 
day I ended up not stopping until 3/4 mile later. We never got caught but 
it was VERY scary.

  3 weeks before the bust: I met this guy in early March named Kevin 
Grigsby. He had a nice Geo Trakcer (halfway pimpned out) and he wanted a 
nice system in his tracker. Well I ended up ordering him a nice $350 head 
unit. He ended up finding out where my drop was, (and yes I know I WAS 
stupid and used the same drop WAY TOO LONG) well about 3 days before the 
stereo was expected to arrive, I was doing my rounds outside checking 
mailboxes. And I see these undercover cop cars roming the streets. I 
freaked out. Next day at school I was going to tell this kid to hold off on 
the package for a while. Well he was not at school! Well the day arrives 
when the package is suppose to arrive. The bus roles around the corner and 
all I see is undercover cop cars and also marked cars! I mean like a total 
of 8! And I see this guys tracker! He tried to steal the package so he 
wouldnt have to pay me $50 for a $350 head unit! He got caught! They 
arrested him (thinking he was the carder) and took him to the station. 
Come to find out he ratted me out!

  The Bust: April 11th 1996 (3 weeks later) I am peacgully sitting in 2nd 
hour western civ class doing my homework, and I was also in a ROTC class 
(Air Force ROTC) and that was the day we had to dress up. Well principle 
walks in and asks for me to leave to talk to him. Well I start to leave 
and he says "get your bookbag" Well now is when something was really
wrong. We walked to his office, and he was asking these questions like 
"How is your day been going?" I was like "fine" then we got to his office 
and I sat down and he walked out and I turn around and see 2 guys dressed 
in suits and ties and a lady (postal inspector) and they walk up to me and
say "Brandon, your under arrest for credit card fraud and mail theft" I said
"WHAT?!" then he repeated it. I couldn't beleive it. I thought it was a 
joke! But he told me to stand up and walk out in to the hall. I got out 
there and he told me to face the wall. Then the bell rang! He put me in 
cuffs in front of like 200 people! Then walk out to the car and take off 
to the station.

  At the station: They then give me the mug shots and fingerprints and then 
serarch my bookbag and they found the 2 jars or Cool Water Cologn. They then 
call my parents, and my step-dad shows up later on. They go through what all 
happend and they ended up getting a search warrant on my room. They find a 
lot of mail =) Well after that was all said and done, they tell us to show 
up at HillTop (Juvinial place) and to have a meeting with this counselor. 
We get there on monday (April 15th 1996) and talk to this counselor on what 
exactly happend. I tell them all what I did, and after the meeting they say 
"We will get back with you within 2 weeks and setup a court date." Well 
guess what? I haven't heard from them since!

   How much I made: Well I didn't make much at all! I stole over $15,000 
worth of goods and I only made about $700 IF that! I just had to get rid 
of the stuff fast so I sold it real CHEAP!