BEVERLY HILLS, June 25, (THEWILL) – Raymond Abbas, the ‘Instagram celebrity’ with the moniker Hushpuppi, and his gang were busted about two weeks ago in Dubai for alleged cyber fraud and money laundering
The Dubai Police seized about Dh150 million in cash (over $40m) and more than a dozen luxury cars when they arrested him and his crew.
In a video shared by police, officers explained how they arrested Raymond Abbas, who is notorious for showing off his fraud-propped luxury lifestyle on Instagram.
The Nigerian is accused of creating websites that look identical to those of well-known companies and banks.
People were sent emails and messages that prompted them to log in or make payments on the fake sites, the Dubal National newspaper reports.
THEWILL reports that the Nigerian government is also seeking Abbas and his gang for multiple fraudulent schemes perpetrated in his home country.
Mr Abbas is accused of being part of a gang that hacked corporate emails and directed huge payments to accounts they controlled.
Olalekan Jacob Ponle, known as Woodberry, was also arrested along with 10 other men in an operation that involved six police teams.
Police confiscated 13 luxury cars, valued at about Dh25m, 21 computers and 47 smartphones during the raid.
ALSO READ: Likes Of Hushpuppi Destroy The Image of Hardworking Nigerians Abroad – Dabiri-Erewa
Police said the email addresses of 800,000 people were discovered and Dh1.6 billion could have been stolen from victims of the alleged scam.
The operation was called Fox Hunt 2, after a raid Dubai Police carried out in February on an African cybercrime gang accused of stealing Dh32m in a similar scam.
Mr Abbas, who has more than two million followers on Instagram, is accused of posing as a property investor and businessman.
Posts on his account suggest a lavish lifestyle, with images showing him taking trips on a private jet, wearing Louis Vuitton tracksuits and a $150,000 (Dh550, 900) Richard Mille watch and posing outside the Four Seasons hotel in Paris.
A video of a wedding in Dubai attended by Nigerian celebrities, an event that made headlines in his home country, showed Mr Abbas dancing as he threw $100 notes into the air.
Dubai Police CID chief Brig Jamal Al Jalaf said Mr Abbas posed as a successful businessman “celebrating his wealth via social media platforms, in an attempt to lure victims from all over the world”.
“The suspects targeted victims overseas by creating fake websites for well-known companies and banks in a bid to steal victims’ credit card information and then launder the stolen money,” Brig Jamal Al Jalaf said.
Last week, a senior prosecutor told The National that “initial information includes that he was part of this gang which fraudulently obtained cash and cars from people”.
He said the prosecution investigations were only beginning.
Mr Abbas is also accused of committing fraud in Europe, the US and Nigeria.
As criminals constantly change their methods, the elite officers of Dubai Police work tirelessly to tackle emerging organised crime.
Dubai Police chief Lt Gen Abdullah Al Marri said cyber crime and financial scams on victims at home and abroad remain a major focus for the force.
“As criminals constantly change their criminal methods, the elite officers of Dubai Police work tirelessly with the latest technologies to tackle emerging and transnational organised crime,” he said.
Emirati police have targeted a series of organised crime gangs in recent months who were identified to be operating in the country.
Last week, a suspected drug trafficker linked to violent turf wars in Belgium was arrested in Dubai.
Nordin EH, a Belgian-Moroccan, faces various drug charges and was linked to cocaine smuggling and hand-grenade attacks on rivals in Antwerp.
In December, suspected Dutch crime lord Ridouan Taghi was taken into custody in connection with at least 11 murders in the Netherlands.
It was alleged he was behind a third of Europe’s cocaine trade and is rumoured to have made €100m (Dh412m) from dealing drugs.
This month, Amir Faten Mekky, an international gang leader wanted by Interpol was grabbed in Dubai.
He was associated with Taghi and the Angels of Death gang and was wanted in connection with two murders and a series of arson attacks in southern Spain.
About the Author
