Now, Assignment unmasks Ramon Abbas, revealing a complicated, sometimes ruthless character driven by a thirst for wealth and celebrity status. 2023 BBC. We cannot say with 100% certainty that Hushpuppi is behind it, Mr Almazar says. Despite himpleading guilty in April to money laundering, Hushpuppis social media is still live and attracting followers. And now Mr Kyari too is wanted in the US on charges of fraud, money laundering and identity theft. "His clients understand that he was victimised," Mr Almazar explains. Wia dis foto come from, Instagram/@hushpuppi. Some are hesitant to admit what has happened.". WebBreaking news headlines about Hushpuppi, linking to 1,000s of sources around the world, on NewsNow: the one-stop shop for breaking news. That is the real story here.". The scams were to be carried out via Business Email Compromise (BEC). Ramon Abbas, 40, also was ordered by a federal judge to BEC fraud is a huge issue across the world. 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. Like many Yahoo Boys, Abbas broadened his criminal horizons. Olalekan Jacob Ponle, known as "Mr Woodbery", flaunted his wealth, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. cookies to improve your experience and customise advertising. Use at least 8 characters, an uppercase and a lowercase letter, and a number or symbol. BBC News, Pidgin. 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. [37] The study concludes that colonial legacies contributed to the North-South divide regarding online fraud patterns in Nigeria. In February 2019, he attempted to launder 13m euros (11m; $15m) stolen by a gang of North Korean hackers from the Maltese Bank of Valletta. Experts don bin tell BBC Pidgin say if court find Hushpuppi guilty of di accuse, e fit face maximum prison sentence of nothing less than 20 years for federal prison. But soon, the cracks between the gang started to show. Webfunny ways to say home run grassroots elite basketball Menu . We contacted Instagram to ask why his account was still open. Hushpuppi alleges bribing DCP Abba One Million Dollars Per Constituency: Middle Belt Dev't Authority commissions three projects. He has spent his life in the UAE. [20][21] According to the affidavit Abbas had provided a co-conspirator with two bank accounts in Europe anticipating the receipt of $5.6 million each of the fraudulently obtained funds. Despite him pleading guilty in April to money laundering, Hushpuppis social media is still live and attracting followers. Just days after we put the same question to Snapchat, which deleted Hushpuppis account. Latest News . [10][11][12] The arrest was part of an FBI investigation that indicted him as being a "key player" in a transnational cybercrime network that provided "safe havens for stolen money around the world. A spokesman for the US Department of Justice told the BBC that Hushpuppi was expelled from Dubai and was not extradited. File on 4 & BBC Africa 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 It was to receive 100m from a Premier League Football Club, and 200m from a UK firm. hushpuppi Once a relationship is established via a false identity, romance scammers wheedle money from their online lovers. [15], He is the subject of a 2017 song "Telli Person" by Nigerian singer Timaya featuring Olamide and Phyno, with whom he had a long-running feud. WebThe big boy Hushpuppi was humbled when he was handcuffed just like a petty criminal, his designers and latest cars could do nothing. Ramon Olorunwa Abbas - known to his 2.5 million Instagram followers as Ray Hushpuppi - and another cyber-heist suspect Olalekan Jacob Ponle (aka Mr Woodberry) were arrested in Dubai, where they lived, in June. 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. He did not answer how he ended up in US custody. WebThe Latest news in Nigeria and world news. 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. "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. BBC 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.. 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. Despite him pleading guilty in April to money laundering, Hushpuppi's social media is still live and attracting followers. The rise and fall of Hushpuppi the social media influencer and global money-launderer. S2.3 Hushpuppi A social media influencer is laundering cash for the hackers to fund his luxury lifestyle 39 mins 27 Mar 2023 S2.2 Big Boss The hackers turn to the dark web. [7] He claimed to be a real estate developer. They keep finding out.. 'Gucci billionaire' influencer in plot to scam Premier League club One UK victim, who wanted to remain anonymous, says he lost 500,000, has been forced to leave the UAE - and is himself facing criminal proceedings in Dubai because of the debt he has incurred as a result of the fraud. You may want to read Metas Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. murders, a place with a murky past. Court documents allege Abbas's crimes cost victims almost $24m in total. [36] The study concludes that the process by which some actions are interpreted as a crime compared to others is a moral enterprise. The scams were to be carried out via Business Email Compromise (BEC). Local driver Seye told the BBC that he remembered Abbas as a young boy working alongside his mother in the Olojojo market. Mr Pissetzky says the case could last several months, even longer than a year. He would not want to ruin his credibility and status rather than stay here and face these allegations. To view this content choose accept and continue. All rights reserved. The bank said it managed to recover 10m euros. 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. One member threatened to blow the whole scam wide open as he was unhappy about the money he was getting. Hushpuppi's close associate, Mompha once revealed that his dad is still a cab driver in Lagos. His father was a taxi driver. A fact known all too well by Dubai-based lawyer Barney Almazar. 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. "We cannot say with 100% certainty that Hushpuppi is behind it," Mr Almazar says. He has previously denied having any criminal involvement with Abbas and has not responded to the BBCs requests for comment. His family are still in the UAE. "There was no extradition, there were no legal steps taken, there were no court documents filed, it was simply a call to the FBI. They then appeared in a Chicago court on 3 July. And now Mr Kyari too is wanted in the US on charges of fraud, money laundering and identity theft. "They keep finding out.". The purported messages allege that Hushpuppi paid 8m naira ($19,000; 14,000) into accounts linked to the Nigerian police whose details were provided by Mr Kyari, to detain Mr Chibuzor. July 5, 2022. To view this content choose accept and continue. Neither are named in the court documents. Don't miss out! Breaking news: an unexpected interview. Hushpuppi's lawyer says FBI 'kidnapped' Nigerian News Only a single letter or number will be different. Mr Ponle, 29, ran the "Mr Woodberry" Instagram account but the FBI says he used the alias "Mark Kain" in emails. Hushpuppi In May 2019, Abbas was tasked with setting up a bank account in Mexico. 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The complaint against him says one Chicago-based company "was defrauded into sending wire transfers totalling $15.2m". 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. Only a single letter or number will be different. Webfunny ways to say home run grassroots elite basketball Menu . "Brother I can't send from UK to Mexico," Abbas's sidekick messaged him. Available for over a year It was to receive 100m from a Premier League Football Club, and 200m from a UK firm. Assignment reveals the inside story of Ramon Abbas, one of a new breed of global cyber-fraudsters. This is when his Instagram posts and crimes went to another level. Ramon Abbas could face up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering in July 2021. 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. [26] At Abbas' detention hearing, his lawyer, Pissetzky told the court that his client posed no flight risk because of the damage it would do to his credibility online, adding, "He is loved and respected. A notorious Instagram influencer from Nigeria has been jailed for more than 11 years in the US for his role in an international fraud syndicate. 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. Nigerian social media influencer, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas popularly known as Ray Hushpuppi, was charged and indicted in a $1.1 million fraud by the United States Hushpuppi, Nigerian social media influencer, funded his luxurious lifestyle by cybercrime. A Nigerian influencer known as Hushpuppi who was arrested in Dubai for financial crimes costing tens of millions of dollars is scheduled to be sentenced by a California court on Monday. 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. Hushpuppi Abbas's 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. As he grew older, Seye says, Abbas liked to splash his cash: "He was generous. Di charges compromise, frauds and oda scams wey include plans wey target one U.S law firm, one foreign bank and one English Premier League Soccer club. "The scam was very sophisticated. Hushpuppi Mr Abbas' lawyer Gal Pissetzky told the BBC that his client, who posts on Instagram about his extravagant lifestyle, was not a criminal and had made his money legitimately. How Hushpuppi bribed Abba Kyari, the full text of their conversation Many went to Malaysia and Abbas followed them, ending up in Kuala Lumpur around 2014, then Dubai in 2017. But soon, the cracks between the gang started to show. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. 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. Damn, Abbas said in a text to a fellow scammer at the time in messages obtained by the FBI. We contacted Instagram to ask why his account was still open. Ramon Olorunwa Abbas (born 11 October 1982), commonly known as Hushpuppi, Hush, or Ray Hushpuppi is a Nigerian former Instagram influencer and convicted felon. As he grew older, Seye says, Abbas liked to splash his cash: "He was generous. "You'll have to ask them about why they called it an extradition," the US Department of Justice (DoJ) spokesman responded in an email. [36] The study argues that this type of linguistic manipulation voiced as public opinion on Twitter denies the sufferings of victims of online fraud. "Yahoo Boys" are romance scammers who took their name from the first free email available in Nigeria. Some of it was laundered via the purchase of a watch worth a staggering $230,000. The scam was very sophisticated. Snared by the FBI in 2020, Abbas is better known as Instagram influencer Hushpuppi, who flaunted a life of designer clothes, private jets and penthouse apartments to millions of followers. Is climate change killing Australian wine? Abigail Mamo, chief executive of the Maltese chamber of small and medium enterprises, says the heist plunged the holiday island into chaos. [36] The manifestation of linguistic maneuvering, "advantageous comparison" as a preferred technique of choice by Twitter users, exposes their total trivialization of online fraudsters' economic actions, e.g., Huspuppi. The bank said it managed to recover 10m euros. During di detention hearing, court for di Northern District of Illinois, USA rule say make di U.S. For pretrial, Ramon Abass aka Hushpuppi don bin plead not guilty to di four counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. "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. And then with that identity theft, they went into dating [scams]," explains Dr Adedeji Oyenuga, a cybercrime expert at Lagos State University. Hushpuppi And now Mr Kyari too is wanted in the US on charges of fraud, money laundering and identity theft. Read about our approach to external linking. please read our, Internet Fraud: U.S. court sets Mr Woodberrys sentencing for July 11, Hushpuppis accomplice pleads guilty to internet fraud; agrees to pay $8 million to victims, Fraud: Hushpuppis partner forfeits choice Dubai properties, to pay $8m, Hushpuppis partner Woodberry to pay $8 million after pleading guilty to fraud. "They keep finding out.". Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. Dr Oyenuga says Hushpuppi's influence endures as he is still regarded as a role model: "We're in a country where a lot of young people are suffering. 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. Only a single letter or number will be different. Stay informed. Hushpuppi is currently being held in the United States for financial offences bordering on wire fraud to which he has pleaded guilty and faces a 20-year jail term if convicted. Read about our approach to external linking. The 37-year-old began his career in Oworonshoki, a poor coastal area in the north-east of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital. He is a celebrity. Heliyon, 8(11), e11142. Labour Day, May Day: Wetin e mean and how e start. His father was a taxi driver. [19] The attack was of such seriousness in Malta that then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was forced to address parliament. They see another young person who was once like them become that great. I went to Nigeria to meet the man who scammed me, AI chatbots 'may soon be more intelligent than us', Russia troop deaths hit 20,000 in five months - US, Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israel prison, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, The burden of being cricket legend Tendulkar's son, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Yahoo Boys are romance scammers who took their name from the first free email available in Nigeria. "[12], Many news platforms have reported that Abbas was once a second-hand clothes seller in Lagos. It did not name the institution by name but a bank in Malta reported losing the same sum to hackers that same month. His family are still in the UAE. Ramon Abbas also known as Ray Hushpuppi faces 20 years in prison after he was arrested with a staggering 29 million of cash and 13 luxury cars. (2022). None of the Premiership clubs would confirm whether or not they were the intended victim. "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. hushpuppi [36] By implication, if what was once morally condemnable becomes a source of valuation, it becomes a source of valuation in its consequences in society. Lazarus, S., Button, M., & Adogame, A. 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. 2023 BBC. The Latest. Hushpuppi De external site no concern BBC. The reply shows the next heist was being planned: "Next one is in few weeks; will let you know when it's ready. Local driver Seye told the BBC that he remembered Abbas as a young boy working alongside his mother in the Olojojo market. The social media platform told the BBC that it had carried out an investigation into his account - but had decided not to close it. Click to get a sign-in link sent to your email. Abbas's 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. Despite him pleading guilty in April to money laundering, Hushpuppi's social media is still live and attracting followers. "Their foreign suppliers did not receive the money We're talking about thousands of euros.". We are sorry, but the email address you entered does not appear to be valid. It is alleged that Mr Kyari then falsely arrested and detained the middleman for a month in a squalid Nigerian cell. An article in Bloomberg Businessweek details his actions leading to his arrest, incarceration, and a trial on 27 July 2021, in Los Angeles. "This case targets a key player in a large, transnational conspiracy who was living an opulent lifestyle in another country while allegedly providing safe havens for stolen money around the world," United States Attorney Nick Hanna said in a statement when the charges were announced. But Hushpuppi's lawyer says his client earned his money by monetising his large social media presence. One UK victim, who wanted to remain anonymous, says he lost 500,000, has been forced to leave the UAE and is himself facing criminal proceedings in Dubai because of the debt he has incurred as a result of the fraud. Once a relationship is established via a false identity, romance scammers wheedle money from their online lovers. The U. S. Central District Court in California has again postponed the sentencing of a Nigerian Instagram celebrity, They're sometimes called 419 scams, after the relevant article in the Nigerian Criminal Code. 'Gucci billionaire' influencer in plot to scam Premier League club Their foreign suppliers did not receive the money Were talking about thousands of euros.. 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. This Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. This article contains content provided by Instagram. Abbas is also accused of committing fraud in Nigeria as he is also wanted by Nigeria's financial crime police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.[25]. Rapper 50 Cents to Produce Hushpuppi Series, retrieved: Bloomberg (June 2021). Na on top accuse say im dey plan to tiff plenty millions of dollars through business email compromise (BEC), yahoo-yahoo and oda mago-mago. Hushpuppi See all episodes from The Documentary Podcast, A window into our world - investigating, exploring and telling stories from everywhere. Once a relationship is established via a false identity, romance scammers wheedle money from their online lovers. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. They came up with the idea of stealing identities. "He is a social media influencer with millions of followers, with millions of people that respect and loved him, and he loved them, and that's what he did. By clicking 'Create Account and Subscribe' you agree to us creating an account for you and subscribing you to our newsletter in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Legal Notice.Emails, which may be sent daily or less frequently, may include marketing elements. Wia dis foto come from, Twitter/@USAO_LosAngeles. Homepage. Copyright 1997 - 2023 NewsNow Publishing Limited. At Mondays sentencing, Abbas was sentenced to to 135 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay $922,857 in restitution to the law firm and $809,983 in restitution to the victim in Qatar. [35] A recent study demonstrates that many people on Twitter trivialize the fraudulent actions of online fraudsters such as Hushpuppi. Social media influencer Hushpuppi sentenced to 11 years in We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. Reading Time: 4 mins read. On Instagram, he dropped the "Billionaire Gucci Master" moniker for "Real Estate Developer" about eight months before his arrest and subsequent transfer to the US to stand trial. The reply shows the next heist was being planned: "Next one is in few weeks; will let you know when it's ready. The United Arab Emirates has no extradition treaty with the United States but Dubai police said they had been extradited to the US. 13.The story of Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, a popular Instagram influencer from Nigeria who became "one of the most prolific money launderers in the world," according to the FBI. "[3] Prosecutors cited his "significant" financial assets, "deep ties to foreign countries" and a lack of ties to the United States. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25(8), 504-511. He apologised to his family members for bringing them shame while commending the FBI for doing a thorough job while bringing him to justice. Stay informed. BBC News [38][39] A short documentary about the life of Hushpuppi till his arrest has been released by both Bloomberg[40] and BBC Africa.[41]. This Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. [32], On 19 September 2022, Judge Otis Wright delayed Hushpuppi's sentencing to 3 November 2022. A fact known all too well by Dubai-based lawyer Barney Almazar. grassroots elite basketball ; why does ted lasso have a southern accent . ; NewsNow: Hushpuppi news | Breaking News & Search
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