[13] Abbas prided himself on his humble beginnings. Too bad they caught on, or it would have been a nice pay out.. "Yahoo Boys" are romance scammers who took their name from the first free email available in Nigeria. The United Arab Emirates has no extradition treaty with the United States but Dubai police said they had been extradited to the US. Di social media influencer don dey detention for almost two years now. Like many Yahoo Boys, Abbas broadened his criminal horizons. "His clients understand that he was victimised," Mr Almazar explains. According to the FBI, in 2020 BEC fraud resulted in losses of $1.8bn. And now Mr Kyari too is wanted in the US on charges of fraud, money laundering and identity theft. 2023 BBC. Premium Times (November 2022). The song contained lyrics directed toward Abbas indirectly accusing him of being a swindler and lavishing his money on designer clothes instead of investing in profitable ventures and warning him that he would soon be caught by authorities. grassroots elite basketball ; why does ted lasso have a southern accent . ; But the Premiership scam fell apart when the UK banks refused to pay into the Mexican account. Court documents allege Abbass crimes cost victims almost $24m in total. We contacted Instagram to ask why his account was still open. He represents around 25 people - including eight UK citizens - in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), all of whom believe they are victims of one of Hushpuppi's BEC scams. "They came up with the idea of stealing identities. "Mr Ponle, are you there?" Ramon Abbas - known to his 2.5 million Instagram followers as Hushpuppi - is considered by the FBI to be one of the world's most high-profile fraudsters and faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years in the US after pleading guilty to money laundering. Just days after we put the same question to Snapchat, which deleted Hushpuppi's account. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. He has previously denied having any criminal involvement with Abbas - and has not responded to the BBC's requests for comment. By clicking "OK" or continuing to use this site, you agree that we may collect and use your personal data and set In that email the scammers - posing as a supplier awaiting payment - typically say they've switched banks, so the payment will need to be wired to a different account; the details for which they will provide. The bank did not respond to a request for comment. Why you fit trust BBC News; How dem dey take use am; A spokesman for the US The rise and fall of Hushpuppi the social media influencer and global money-launderer. Now, Assignment unmasks Ramon Abbas, revealing a complicated, sometimes ruthless character driven by a thirst for wealth and celebrity status. Ramon Olorunwa Abbas aka Hushpuppi reported $400,000 fraud inside US prison no be true. His lawyer Michael B Nash told the judge at a detention hearing on Thursday that he had not had a chance to speak to his client. An individual may contact you via e-mail, explaining he needs help to transfer money, Will tell you that political turmoil or a natural disaster makes it difficult for him to make the transfer, Will ask you to give him your financial details so that he can transfer the money into your account, This allows him to access and steal from your account, Be careful what you post on social media and dating sites as scammers use the details to better understand you and target you. He was handed over to the agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who took him to the United States of America to face the consequences of his criminal activities. WebThe big boy Hushpuppi was humbled when he was handcuffed just like a petty criminal, his designers and latest cars could do nothing. But soon, the cracks between the gang started to show. According to the affidavit[24] other communications between Abbas and one of his co-conspirators indicated that the two had conspired to "launder tens, and at times hundreds, of millions of dollars that were proceeds of other fraudulent schemes and computer intrusions, including a fraudulent scheme to steal 100 million ($124 million) from an English Premier League football club. His social media posts showed him living a life of luxury, complete with private jets, ultra-expensive cars and high-end clothes and watches. Don't miss out! Brother I cant send from UK to Mexico, Abbass sidekick messaged him. We contacted Instagram to ask why his account was still open. You can unsubscribe whenever you want. Tori bin dey circulate for local media say di Instagram celebrity bin receive fresh charges. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. But everyone knew the source of his mysterious wealth - cybercrime; he was a "Yahoo", Seye says. It stated that Hushpuppi risks 20 years imprisonment; a 3-year period of supervised release; a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offence. I've never heard of anything like that. He is accused of converting some of the proceeds into a Bitcoin digital wallet, effectively ensuring that they could not be traced. "We received calls from our members telling us they were sending money using Bank of Valletta's platform to their foreign suppliers," says Ms Mamo. We will not share your email address with any third parties. Instagram star hushpuppi has been charged with conspiracy to commit a massive money laundering scheme by the Department of Justice. "The scam was very sophisticated. He is not a citizen of the United States, the US had absolutely no authority to take him," his lawyer says. 2023 BBC. [7] He claimed to be a real estate developer. But some believe the actual total could be much higher. Homepage. This article contains content provided by Instagram. This is when his Instagram posts and crimes went to another level. WebHushpuppis Ally, Woodberry Pleads Guilty To Yahoo Yahoo, To Forfeit $8 Million, Cars, Watches, Others. In 2019, he helped launder some $14.7 million stolen by North Korean hackers from a bank in Malta, funneling the money through banks in Romania and Bulgaria, prosecutors said. He apologised to his family members for bringing them shame while commending the FBI for doing a thorough job while bringing him to justice. You may want to read Metas Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. [36] The study concludes that the process by which some actions are interpreted as a crime compared to others is a moral enterprise. In today's society, that's a business," he said. Despite him pleading guilty in April to money laundering, Hushpuppis social media is still live and attracting followers. But if you look at the bank accounts that police have traced, they all belong to the records obtained by the police in their raids [on Hushpuppis home in Dubai].. "The scam was very sophisticated. Some of it was laundered via the purchase of a watch worth a staggering $230,000. We contacted Instagram to ask why his account was still open. To view this content choose accept and continue. Too bad they caught on, or it would have been a nice pay out.". Many went to Malaysia - and Abbas followed them, ending up in Kuala Lumpur around 2014, then Dubai in 2017. Some of it was laundered via the purchase of a watch worth a staggering $230,000. Feds used his posts to link him to alleged cyber crimes", "Money laundering: US court to sentence Hushpuppi on Valentine's Day", "Nigerian Influencer Ramon 'Hushpuppi' Abbas, Accused By FBI Of Money Laundering, Is Denied Bail", "Why We Arrested Hushpuppi Dubai Police", "How the FBI used Instagram and Snapchat to track down an alleged conman in Dubai", "Di big numbers behind Hushpuppi arrest and why e shake Nigeria", "Hushpuppi is into real estate, not a fraudster - Lawyer", "Nigerian Man Sentenced to Over 11 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Launder Tens of Millions of Dollars from Online Scams", "Instagram influencer 'Hushpuppi' arrested amid claims of 350million global cyberscam", "Hushpuppi: Formerly A Second-hand Clothes Seller In Lagos, Now A Billionaire Fraudster", "Mompha Shares Photo Of The Yellow Taxi Allegedly Being Used By Hushpuppi's Dad To Earn A Living", "INSIDE STORY: The Lagos slum where Hushpuppi bought food on credit and washed cars to survive", "Hushpuppi Blasts Phyno, Olamide & Timaya After Watching "telli Person" Musical Video", "VIDEO: "Hushpuppi Was Warned Before His Arrest" - Fans React To Timaya's Telli Person Video", "Hushpupi Arraigned in US Court for Conspiring to Defraud English Premier League Club $124m (see full charges)", "Update 3 | BOV cyber attack: 13 million transferred out with false transactions", "Hacker linked to BOV's 13 million cyber heist denied bail", "Nigerian scammer arrested by FBI could be behind 13m BOV cyberattack", "Nigerian National Brought to U.S. to Face Charges of Conspiring to Launder Hundreds of Millions of Dollars from Cybercrime Schemes", "Nigerian Instagram Star Aided North Korea Cyber Crime, U.S. Says", https://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2020/07/usa_v_abbas_complaint_0.pdf, "Hushpuppi connected to several cyber crimes EFCC", "Five reasons Hushpuppi must remain in detention - U.S. Court", "The Fall of the Billionaire Gucci Master", "Hushpuppi: Nigerian influencer pleads guilty to money laundering", "JUST IN: Hushpuppi narrates how he bribed Nigerian top cop Abba Kyari in $1.1 million deal", "Nigeria respond afta US order for arrest of Abba Kyari wey dem indict for Hushpuppi fraud case", "FBI Releases Conversation Between Hushpuppi And Abba Kyari [See Full Text]", "Hushpuppi thanks FBI for doing great job to make world safer from "criminals like myself", "Hushpuppi scores last-minute relief as court postpones sentencing to November 2022", "Hushpuppi: Notorious Nigerian fraudster jailed for 11 years in US", https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11142, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/564560-rapper-50-cent-to-produce-hushpuppi-series.html, https://www.instagram.com/p/CkwSkKzORE-/?hl=en, https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2021-hushpuppi-gucci-influencer/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXA7rcVBslU, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hushpuppi&oldid=1149991788, Nigerian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Hushpuppi, Hush, Ray Hushpuppi, The Billionaire Gucci Blaiso, Alleged business email compromise, scam, and money laundering, This page was last edited on 15 April 2023, at 17:51.

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