Twenty-nine charged in Chicago with 'cracking cards' bank fraud scheme

HIT: JP Morgan Chase & Co, Citibank, US Bancorp, Bank of America Corp and others were identified as victims of the scheme.

CHICAGO: Twenty-nine people in the Chicago area face state or federal charges for involvement with a bank fraud scheme known as "cracking cards," which found participants through rap music and social media, prosecutors said on Wednesday. 

The multimillion-dollar scheme, which started on Chicago's South Side about three years ago, involved recruiting bank customers to give up their debit cards and PIN numbers with the promise of making fast cash, the US Attorney's Office in Chicago said.