He has spent his life in the UAE. April 26, 2023 Hushpuppi: Notorious Nigerian fraudster jailed for 11 years in US BBCView Full coverage on Google News Sources 1/ by newsdesk. BBC In today's society, that's a business," he said. 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 Hushpuppis BEC scams. That is the real story here.". But the Dubai police said in a Facebook post that the FBI director had thanked them for extraditing the two men. [37] Specifically, the study showed that the criminalization of people indigenous to southern Nigeria, such as Hushpuppi, differs substantially from that of Northerners, suggesting that more Southerners are more implicated in internet fraud than Northerners. You may want to read Metas Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. "But they also have to cover their losses, so right now he doesn't know how he can get back to the UAE. Please try different keywords. "Authorities say, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, perfected a simple internet scam and laundered millions of dollars. "I have seen parents who have taken their children to learn how to become Yahoo Boys. According to court documents in California, he has cost victims 17m in total. Hushpuppi is facing criminal charges in the United States for conspiracy to launder money obtained from business email compromise frauds and other scams, including schemes that defrauded a US law firm of about $40 million, illegally transferred $14.7 million from a foreign financial institution, and targeted to steal $124 million from an English It was to receive 100m from a Premier League Football Club, and 200m from a UK firm. Court documents allege Abbas's crimes cost victims almost $24m in total. It is alleged that Mr Kyari then falsely arrested and detained the middleman for a month in a squalid Nigerian cell. We are sorry, but the email address you entered does not appear to be valid. "The scam was very sophisticated. 0. According to court documents in California, he has cost victims 17m in total. "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 Hushpuppi's home in Dubai].". 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. Huspuppi go get court sentencing for dis charges on 11 July, 2022. He was sentenced to nearly 12 years in federal prison and was ordered to pay more than $30 million in restitution. Is climate change killing Australian wine? "In my opinion, the FBI and the government here acted illegally when they kidnapped him from Dubai without any legal process to do so," Mr Pissetzky told the BBC. Hushpuppi, Nigerian social media influencer, funded his luxurious lifestyle by cybercrime. BBC News Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. a court deputy asked on Thursday when he dialled into the hearing from federal prison. A request for his bail and the chance to stay with his girlfriend's uncle in Homewood, Illinois, was denied on the grounds that he presented a risk of non-appearance. One member threatened to blow the whole scam wide open as he was unhappy about the money he was getting. He has spent his life in the UAE. The social media platform told the BBC that it had carried out an investigation into his account but had decided not to close it. And then with that identity theft, they went into dating [scams]," explains Dr Adedeji Oyenuga, a cybercrime expert at Lagos State University. We contacted Instagram to ask why his account was still open. Read about our approach to external linking. WebThe big boy Hushpuppi was humbled when he was handcuffed just like a petty criminal, his designers and latest cars could do nothing. One member threatened to blow the whole scam wide open as he was unhappy about the money he was getting. But everyone knew the source of his mysterious wealth - cybercrime; he was a "Yahoo", Seye says. It did not name the institution by name but a bank in Malta reported losing the same sum to hackers that same month. "His clients understand that he was victimised," Mr Almazar explains. Only a single letter or number will be different. By his own admission, during just an 18-month period defendant conspired to launder over $300 million, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum, although they said much of the intended loss did not ultimately materialize.. Di social media influencer don dey detention for almost two years now. Professionals were victimised. Notorious and disgraced Internet fraudster, Olalekan Jacob Ponle, also His family are still in the UAE. [37] The study concludes that colonial legacies contributed to the North-South divide regarding online fraud patterns in Nigeria. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? "They keep finding out.". Mr Ponle, the other Nigerian arrested in Dubai and currently in custody in the United States, is also preparing for trial. Some of it was laundered via the purchase of a watch worth a staggering $230,000. We received calls from our members telling us they were sending money using Bank of Vallettas platform to their foreign suppliers, says Ms Mamo. The BBC has used newly available court documents to uncover the man behind cyber heists that have cost his victims millions, from his humble beginnings as a "Yahoo Boy" hustler in Nigeria to a so-called "Billionaire Gucci Master" living a life of luxury in Dubai before his arrest last year. "They keep finding out.". The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Where Is Hushpuppi? Abbass final big scam before his arrest in Dubai in June 2020 was straight-up identity theft, borrowed from the Yahoo Boy romance scams of his youth. IE 11 is not supported. [36] The study concludes that the process by which some actions are interpreted as a crime compared to others is a moral enterprise. November 8, 2022. Ramon Abbas could face up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering in July 2021. Shopping trolleys filled with goods were abandoned at checkouts as payment systems shut down. Professionals were victimised. We contacted Instagram to ask why his It is the latest high-profile fraud case involving a Nigerian national in the United States but his lawyer says the US had no authority to transport him from Dubai. Mr Pissetzky admits that he is not "100% familiar" with social media and his children consider him too old but he knows "that's how people make money today". In February 2019, $14.7 million was transferred out of the bank through false international transactions to accounts in the United States, the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, and Hong Kong. 2023 BBC. Advantageous comparison: using Twitter responses to understand similarities between cybercriminals (Yahoo Boys) and politicians (Yahoo men). Is climate change killing Australian wine? "[36] Creating these phrases is essential linguistic maneuvering, enabling a sharp comparison of the similarities between Hushpuppi, a fraudster, popularly known as an offender, and a prominent authority representative, uncritically seen as a law-abiding citizen. Antoine Verglas Opens Up About His Journey To Becoming A Fashion Photographer. [32], On 19 September 2022, Judge Otis Wright delayed Hushpuppi's sentencing to 3 November 2022. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [19] The attack was of such seriousness in Malta that then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was forced to address parliament. BBC Neither are named in the court documents. 2023 BBC. Between December 2019 and February 2020, Abbas and a gang of alleged middlemen in Kenya, Nigeria and the US groomed and conned the victim out of more than a million dollars. Don't miss out! Stay informed. 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. The accounts clerk is fooled into thinking it is a legitimate request from the supplier and, with a single click of a mouse, vast sums of money are lost. [33] On 8 November 2022, Hushpuppi was sentenced to over 11 years (135 months) in a federal prison. A Nigerian man accused of multimillion-dollar fraud and money laundering by the United States was kidnapped by the FBI from Dubai, his lawyer says. Recall that Hushpuppis sentence had been moved three times since getting convicted in 2021. Abbas, under the name Ray Hushpuppi, had more than 2 million Instagram followers before he was arrested in 2020 in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Di Nigerian Instagram celebrity dey US to face charges on top accuse say im conspire to launder Hundreds of Millions of Dollars from business email. Ramon Abbas, 40, also was ordered by a federal judge to pay $1.7 million in restitution to two fraud victims, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. You may want to read Metas Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. [35] A recent study demonstrates that many people on Twitter trivialize the fraudulent actions of online fraudsters such as Hushpuppi. "They came up with the idea of stealing identities. His social media posts showed him living a life of luxury, complete with private jets, ultra-expensive cars and high-end clothes and watches. Hushpuppi's lawyer says FBI 'kidnapped' Nigerian Too bad they caught on, or it would have been a nice pay out.". You may want to read Metas Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. Neither are named in the court documents. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) accuses Mr Abbas, 37, of conspiring to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from frauds known as Business Email Compromise (BEC) and other scams. Dr Oyenuga says Hushpuppis influence endures as he is still regarded as a role model: Were in a country where a lot of young people are suffering. Hushpuppi To view this content choose accept and continue. But soon, the cracks between the gang started to show. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. Local driver Seye told the BBC that he remembered Abbas as a young boy working alongside his mother in the Olojojo market. "[12], Many news platforms have reported that Abbas was once a second-hand clothes seller in Lagos. News I have seen parents who have taken their children to learn how to become Yahoo Boys., Seye says everyone knows Hushpuppi has committed a crime, but it is understandable: No-one prays to be poor. WebIn a final appeal to Judge Otis Wright ahead of his scheduled sentencing on 19 September 2022, Hushpuppi wrote a personal letter to the court narrating his source of wealth, But everyone knew the source of his mysterious wealth cybercrime; he was a Yahoo, Seye says. July 5, 2022. Hushpuppi Notorious and disgraced Internet fraudster, Olalekan Jacob Ponle, also known as Woodberry, has pleaded guilty to internet fraud. The FBI says $1.7bn was lost by individuals and companies in business email compromise scams in 2019 alone. WebFirst broadcast: Thu 16 th Sep 2021, 02:32 on BBC World Service Australasia Latest broadcast: Thu 16 th Sep 2021, 20:06 on BBC World Service East Asia.
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