I’ve said it before, and I will say it again – using a CPN is a fraud and you can go to jail.

If you don’t believe me just ask the 14 people that were arrested and charged in Milwaukee County accused of defrauding banks for over $500,000. Instead of using their correct social security numbers, 14 people, lead by a man named Akelius M. Armstrong would use CPN’s that were tied to fake synthetic identities.

Over a two-year period beginning in 2017, Armstrong and his associates defrauded bank branches of 3 banks of close to $500,000, money which was used to purchase 16 cars, credit cards, and iPhones.

The banks that were victims of the fraud scheme included Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, West Milwaukee, Greenfield, and Glendale.

Armstrong the ringleader himself used CPN’s to gain $138,500 in order to obtain a credit card, a 2016 Dodge Challenger, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and 2010 Porsche, the complaint said.

They Targeted Cars

Armstong primarily targeted auto dealerships to conduct his CPN scheme. According to the complaint, Armstrong or his associates would go into a dealership or bank to finance a car purchase. They would use a CPN in place of their Social Security Number and provide false employer information.

A CPN is just a fancy term for a stolen social security number – one that often belongs to someone else and in many cases belongs to young kids that are not old enough to have their own credit.

After obtaining financing for their purchases, Armstrong and his associates paid little or none of their loans back.

13 People Were Charged

When loans started to default and not pay, the Banks began to alert the police of the suspicious activity. After investigating, Police were able to trace connections between Armstrong and the 13 other suspects.

The suspects admitted that they had used CPN’s and they also admitted that Armstrong had sold them the CPN’s. In addition to selling them the CPN’s, the associates also used fictitious businesses and addresses on the applications to avoid detection and to get the loans approved.

Eleven of those 13 suspects have been charged as of Nov. 21.

They are: Keith Bower, 41, of South Milwaukee; Dwayne Speed, 35, of Milwaukee; Ronsha Butler, 30, of Milwaukee; Antwon Mayfield, 35, of Milwaukee; Deshunna Franklin, 38, of Milwaukee; Preston Harger, 32, of Menomonee Falls; Natasha Elbert, 41, of Milwaukee; Anthony Reed, 40, of Milwaukee; Derrick Washington, 35, of West Allis; and Liljosie Taylor, 37, of Milwaukee.

The investigation is ongoing and police have indicated that more people may be charged.

CPN’S Are A Big Problem

There are hundreds of CPN scammers out there selling CPN’s to unsuspecting people and those people are being arrested once they use those CPN’s.

I wrote about one of the companies out there that sold me a CPN that was actually a social security number. They tried to convince me it was legal, but in all cases they were wrong.

You can read my story – here.

Don’t be fooled and don’t use CPN’s. It’s just not worth it.