Let the real Social Media Celebrity stand up…No, not Hushpuppi

Who is a social media celebrity? Here is a definition I got from Wikipedia…

“An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability the Internet. The rise of social media has helped people increase their outreach to a global audience. Internet celebrities may be recruited by companies for influencer marketing to advertise products to their fans and followers on their platforms. “

“Internet celebrities often function as lifestyle gurus who promote a particular lifestyle or attitude. In this role, they may be crucial influencers or multipliers for trends in genres including fashion, beauty, technology, video games, politics, and entertainment.”

Notable internet celebrities include Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Cristiano Ronaldo, Davido e.t.c

These celebrities make money by promoting brands, selling their own branded items and more…not Cybercrime or Internet fraud. However there are some people that have given this profession a bad name and it is obvious when you see that these people do not have an underlying profession or no defined business.

One name that has been trending on the Internet and claiming to be a social media celebrity is Raymond Igbalode Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi. He had been flaunting his opulence on social media and attending high profile parties.

This time, he is trending on the Internet because he was arrested by Dubai Police, International Police (Interpol) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for Internet fraud and money laundering on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 in the United Arab Emirates.

His arrest is shown in the video below:

The extent of his nefarious dealings were unearthed in an affidavit attested to by Andrew John Innocenti, a Special Agent of the agency, on June 25, 2020, in US. See full details of his dealings here.

According to the affidavit, “The FBI’s investigation has revealed that ABBAS finances this opulent lifestyle through crime, and that he is one of the leaders of a transnational network that facilitates computer intrusions, fraudulent schemes (including BEC schemes),1 and money laundering, targeting victims around the world in schemes designed to steal hundreds of millions of dollar ABBAS participated in these fraudulent schemes and money laundering in coordination with multiple coconspirators, including the persons referred to herein as Coconspirator 1 and Coconspirator 2.”

BEC fraud schemes often involve a computer hacker gaining unauthorized access to a business-email account, blocking or redirecting communications to and/or from that email account, and then using the compromised email account or a separate fraudulent email account (sometimes called a “spoofed” email account) to communicate with personnel from a victim company and to attempt to trick them into making an unauthorized wire transfer. The fraudster will direct the unsuspecting personnel of the victim company to wire funds to the bank account of a third party (sometimes referred to as a “money mule”), which is often a bank account owned, controlled, and/or used by individuals involved in the scheme

Hushpuppi’s dealings also include a scheme to allegedly steal £100m from an unnamed Premier League club.

Hushpuppi is now in the US and faces a maximum jail term of 20 years in US federal prisons if convicted.

So one thing is for sure. When you say you are a social media celebrity, people will look out for the real job that you do. If we cannot connect your obscene wealth with an underlying job, know that you will soon be visited by the FBI or Interpol. Be warned.