Chapter 3: Scam Surge
286 Words
Stimulus waves crashed into bank accounts in April, but in Flint, it was a hustler's tsunami. Tee's Saginaw basement became command central, screens flickering with VPN tunnels to California's EDD system—ripe for hacks amid pandemic overload. "Mule rings—circle of trust," Tee instructed over encrypted group chat. Sway and Mya ran forgery ops from their kitchen table, scanning stolen IDs, fabricating employment histories.
"We eatin'," Sway grinned, wiring funds to prepaid cards. They masked up for a Detroit run, hitting pawn shops for buffs and chains—Detroit culture dictated flashing hard after come-ups, minks and Timbs as armor against poverty's bite. Keisha filmed "confessionals" on her phone, reality TV style: "Jay's out there beefin', I'm here scammin' small—fake UI for diapers."
Lil Jay dropped a diss track on IG, "Masked Opps," targeting Dre: "Beecher hidin' behind filters, we unfiltered blasts." Retaliation simmered. Zara collabed virtually: " 'Locked In Flint'—queens quarantined but spittin' heat." Her flow, bubbly like YN Jay, gained traction online.
Loss struck: Big Mike's sister passed April 20. Zoom funeral, tears streaming behind screens. "Water started it, virus ended," Mike grieved. Crew funneled scam proceeds for burial, $5K strong. Michigan's audit later revealed $8.5B in UI fraud statewide—Flintstoners just a drop.
Protests escalated; armed demonstrators stormed Lansing Capitol April 30, demanding end to lockdowns. Whitmer stood firm, but militias plotted. In Flint, echoes—drive-bys up 20% per police reports.
Von blew SBA cash on Jordans, flexing at a clandestine block party. "Detroit drip in Bedrock," he posted. But feds lurked; Deloitte report flagged patterns.
Mya confronted Sway: "This high life's temporary. Lena's coughin'—water scars." He promised change, but the grind called.
- Writer
