Top 10 Most Ridiculous Credit Card Sprees

By Michael Binkley
Sept 2008

In the spirit of America’s present economic woes, I thought it would be appropriate to dig up some of the most irresponsible and dim-witted consumer spending sprees in recent history. Sure, we’ve all made impulsive spending decisions in the past, using the credit card too frequently at the mall (or the Apple store), but some people just throw all regard for consequences (financial and otherwise) out the window. And although stealing another person’s identity might mean you don’t have to foot the bill, it’s also a fairly good indicator that you’re going to wind up in prison. Which is rarely a good thing.

10. Police Officer Takes The Law (And Credit Cards) Into His Own Hands

In Dec. 2005, after Chicago police officer James Chevas arrested a man for instigating a bar fight, he proceeded to steal the man’s debit and credit cards. Chevas was accused of running up $1,600 in charges during that holiday season, which probably made his kids happy, but wasn’t exactly good for his “ethical police officer” image. Chevas was caught on tape using the cards and sentenced to 30 months probation.

9. A Financial Adviser With The Worst Advice Ever

As an unregistered financial adviser based out of the UK, Phillip Smith convinced clients to provide him with their credit card information and subsequently funneled large sums of money into online gambling accounts. Smith lived a brief life of luxury thanks to his clients’ naiveté, purchasing a home worth more than € 550,000 and multiple vacation villas (including a particularly luxurious one in Costa del Sol), driving a BMW 7 series, and blowing over € 2 million on his online gambling binges. When convicted, the judge told Smith bluntly, “You are a callous, manipulative and thoroughly dishonest man.” Not to mention short-sighted, Judge. (article source: Guardian)

Philip Smith allegedly stole millions from his clients to fund a luxurious lifestyle and gambling addiction. (Image Source)

8. Who Says The Homeless Don’t Like Bling?

Even though New York native Gene Blum lived in a homeless shelter, his “residence” didn’t stop him from stealing two American Express cards from wealthy strangers and hitting up Manhattan’s most lavish shops and boutiques. Over the course of just two days in June 2008, he went on a $250,000 spree, shelling out $140,000 for a Tourbillon watch from Piaget, an $87,783 diamond-ring watch from Tiffany's, and $20,916 worth of jewelry from the upscale antique shop Alice Kwartler. Unfortunately for Blum, nearly the entirety of his spree was caught on surveillance tapes, and police arrested him before he could buy a getaway jet. (source: NY Post)

A great store for aristocracy and homeless alike! (Image Source)

7. It’s All About The Benjamins

Some of the most ridiculous spending sprees, not surprisingly, can be attributed to the world’s top-tier celebrities. Although some celebrities actively contribute to humanitarian causes, others would prefer to drop their credit card, as Snoop Dog would say, “like it’s hot.” Some of my favorite examples include:

Michael Jackson purchasing ten artificial intelligence Sony AIBO dog robots for $5,000 a piece.
Kim Basinger shelling out $20 million to buy the town of Braselton, Georgia.
Elton John spending $205,774 on flowers in a 20-month period between 1996 and 1997.

And guess what these three celebs have in common. All of them went into serious debt and/or filed for bankruptcy at some point in their careers. Honorable mentions go to Oprah for spending $10,000 on diamond encrusted mink eyelashes and Rapper Big Boi of Outkast for trying to put gold teeth into his dog’s mouth. (sources: The Stallion; Get Rich Slowly)

The King of Pop had 10 of these “dogs” running around his ranch (Image Source)

6. A Cell Phone Bill To Remember

Back when 22-year-old Canadian Piotr Staniaszek believed his cell phone could be used as a modem for his computer at no additional cost, life was good. Very good. Over the span of a couple months, he downloaded vast amounts of high-def movies and other large files to entertain him at work. But then his world (not to mention credit score) was rocked when he realized that his downloading wasn’t covered under his $10/month plan, and that he had inadvertently racked up an $85,000 telephone bill. The service provider, Bell Mobility, generously lowered the bill to $3,243 to match the best data plan available, which Piotr eventually paid despite feeling tricked and tempted to sue his provider. Maybe next time Piotr will make everyone’s life easier and just perform his downloading on his computer’s internal modem. (source: BBC)

5. Party Like It’s 1999!

The 1990s were filled with numerous prosecutions against business executives who were embezzling money and living opulent lifestyles. But none of those execs appreciated a good credit card spree more than the former CEO of Tyco, Dennis Kozlowski. Sure, he enjoyed an $18million Manhattan apartment, $6,000 shower curtains, and a $15,000 dog-shaped umbrella stand, but his crowning “achievement” was a $2million weekend birthday party he threw on the island of Sardinia, featuring an ice sculpture of the Statue of David which urinated premium vodka. It should be noted that Kozlowski threw the party in honor of his wife’s birthday, not his own. Otherwise, Kozlowski would probably have seemed a tad self-absorbed, don’t you think? (source: MSNBC)

Dennis Kozlowski knew how to throw a mean party (Image Source)

4. Signing Your Own Warrant

Even though his spree only amounted to a few thousand dollars, Kody David Merrival’s absent-mindedness made it more than a little ridiculous. The Iowa City man was quickly tracked down by police as a result of a handful of mistakes he made while using a stolen card. First, he used his own rewards account to purchase coffee at a local coffee shop. Next, he bought a carton of cigarettes with the card and signed his own signature. Then he tried to buy some electronic merchandise, and when the card was flagged as stolen, he presented the cashier with his own identification. And to put the icing on the credit cake, so to speak, he tried to make another purchase at a different store even after the card was already flagged! Certainly not the brightest of consumers… to say the least. (source: Computerworld)

3. Your Mail Is In Good Hands

At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be a problem with a humble Long Island postal worker spending thousands of dollars on expensive meals, clothes, computer equipment, and power tools. Perhaps a bit irresponsible, considering a postal worker’s salary, but then again, maybe Paul Hank was saving up for a while? In actuality, however, Hank was stealing credit cards intended for residents of his own (!) postal district and was committing identity theft (not to mention grand larceny) many times over. C’mon, Hank - at least spend the money of people who don’t live next door. The cops wouldn’t have found you so quickly, and maybe your spree could have lasted another couple months.

2. Death In The Fast Lane

Finding out you’re not going to die is usually a great thing, right? Well, it wasn’t exactly peaches and crème for 62-year-old John Brandick, who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer one year and then told it was simply an inflamed pancreas the next. During the time in between, Brandick quit his job, stopped paying his mortgage, and spent every dime to his name on high-end meals, luxurious vacations, and gadgets and gizmos he’d always fancied. And when his spending started running on fumes, he’d sell more of his belongings and shell out the new money immediately. Thus, when doctors told him he was no longer facing death, but life instead, he greeted the news with mixed emotions. "I'm really pleased that I've got a second chance in life,” he told reporters. “But if [I] haven't got no money after all this, which is my fault, [the hospital] should pay some back." (source: Associated Content)

1. Just Some Halo and Prostitutes. No Big Deal.

What red-blooded 13-year-old boy hasn’t stolen his father’s identity and capped off a $30,000 spending spree by playing Halo at a motel with a couple of prostitutes hanging out in the background? Really? Nobody else? Well, that’s exactly what Ralph Hardy of Newark, Texas did this past May, bringing along a couple lucky friends for the ride. Hardy’s escapades made news across the blogosphere and even crept into mainstream media coverage. After police apprehended the boy and his friends, he reportedly told them he thought his father wouldn’t mind because his birthday was the previous week and he never received a present. Personally, I’d say Halo and prostitutes should at least wait until one’s 18th birthday, no?

Ralph Hardy and his friends were more interested in playing Halo than anything else (Image Source)

Thankfully, most people don’t make a habit of such ridiculous spending (and stealing) behavior. It absolutely makes for entertaining stories, but I’m pretty sure those stories are only enjoyed from an outsider’s perspective. For those interested in making informed decisions on how to find a credit card that actually saves them money, they can check out ProQuo’s free service for managing credit card offers.

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