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If you’re one of Raymond Abbas aka Hushpuppi’s 2.4 million Instagram followers, you may have been lead to believe that the 38-year-old Nigerian is a successful real estate developer living a life in which most of us will never sniff—private jets, luxury cars, Richard Mille watches, Gucci, Versace, blah blah.
You were being lied to.
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The Instagram star was busted in Dubai earlier this month for his role in a $431 million cyber scam that involved ripping off credit card information overseas, according to The Times of UK.
“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,” Dubai Police Brigadier Jamal al-Jalaf said.
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The FBI and Interpol raided his Dubai apartment as he slept and confiscated more than $37 million in cash, the report claimed. Abbas was one of at least 12 other associates busted in the international ploy code named Fox Hunt 2.
Detectives used social media to track Abbas’ whereabouts, as the medium who catapulted the scammer to fame ultimately lead to his demise. Irony pie.
During the raids, investigators uncovered email addresses of nearly two million victims on dozens of phones, computers and hard drives, the report said.
Abbas, who once posted a video of himself tossing $100 bills as confetti, has also been accused of fraud in Europe, America and Nigeria, according to the report. [h/t New York Post]
Something tells me his new home will be a tad bit cozier than the mega-mansions he’s accustomed to.
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The food may be a bit less tasty as well.
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And the jumpsuit may not hug the body as tight.
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