We were very saddened when we saw through their Gofundme page that beloved Bushwick small business Wrecords by Monkey was a victim of fraud. Nearly ten years ago, Wrecords by Monkey’s owner Patrick Chirico was starting out at a Lower East Side sidewalk selling record bracelets. Almost a decade later, New York native Chirico (also known as “Monkey”) is still pursuing his passion – Wrecords by Monkey now has a shop right off the Morgan stop, and has helped to create a the vinyl record ministore at Brooklyn’s only Whole Foods and has been a Brooklyn Flea staple for years.

Wrecords by Monkey, a small business that makes products out of recycled records, was recently swindled out of thousands of dollars by a scammer posing as a customer. According to Wrecords by Monkey’s Gofundme page, it all began in late-September when they were reached out to by a new client from Sweden, named Lane Adams, who contacted them via email to place a very large wholesale order. Monkey was asked to include shipping and to use JAC Logistics, as it was better for shipping to Sweden. Monkey processed the payment via credit card and deposited the shipping costs into the customer’s bank account (which was confirmed as legit by their banker). Weeks passed by and Mr. Adams placed a second and third order, requesting again for shipping costs to be covered.