Scammers target Armand de Brignac

Rapper Jay-Z’s favourite Champagne, Armand de Brignac, is being frequently targeted by credit card fraudsters in the US due to its desirability.

According to New York-based news agency Vocativ, the fizz’s popularity among the hip-hop community has made it a target for credit card scams.

“There are a lot of people who try to buy Ace of Spades and can’t afford it, so they use fake credit cards,” Alex Gorelik, director of operations for Washington D.C-based retailer Wine Anthology, told Vocativ.

“Ninety-nine percent of the fraud attempts we see are for this high-end Champagne,” Gorelik added.

It’s a similar story at Yankee Spirits in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, which has seen a number of bogus orders for the Champagne via the store’s website.

“There’s definitely a street market for Ace of Spades and criminals will find a way to get it,” wine director Joe Astukewicz told Vocativ.

Vocativ reports that the majority of the scam attempts on US retailers are from foreign fraudsters who are keen to export the Champagne abroad to countries like Russia and Nigeria via bogus company addresses.

Armand de Brignac is currently distributed by New York-based Sovereign Brands to 120 countries.

Jay-Z’s relationship with Armand de Brignac, produced by Champagne Cattier, stretches back to the Champagne’s launch in 2006, when bottles of it appeared in his music video for the single Show Me What You Got.

In 2011, Armand de Brignac released the world’s largest Champagne bottle format onto the market – the 30 litre Midas, weighing a heft 45kg.

Last October the Dynastie collection, featuring the full range of Armand de Brignac bottles from 750ml up to the Midas, went on sale in the UK for £130,000.