It’s essential to keep in mind that social media isn’t always an accurate representation of reality. People often post heavily edited or photoshopped images, and stage scenes, and only share the happy aspects of their lives online- which doesn’t give you the full picture.
People use social media platforms, such as Instagram, to receive likes, comments, and other forms of validation that they are great and their life is going well. Sometimes people post photos or updates purely for boasting rights.
Abbas was born in Nigeria but moved to Dubai after he became wealthy. His social media showed him living a luxurious lifestyle, with many followers tuneing-in to see how Hushpuppi (Abbas’ Instagram name) would flaunt his money next.
Abbas claimed to be a real estate developer, but an investigation revealed that he was actually involved in a much larger scam. His wealth came from this illegal activity, rather than honest work.
Dubai police arrested Abbas in June 2020 after finding and inspecting his social media posts.
On Monday, Abbas was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering in April 2021. He is also required to pay $1.7 million to two people he defrauded.
Abbas targeted rich companies in his scheme by email spoofing, which is when someone creates a fake email that looks like it’s from a real, legitimate source. This tricks the recipient into sending money to an account that the sender controls instead of the intended, correct bank account. They’ve targeted numerous businesses, like a British soccer club, an American law firm and a foreign bank.
Abbas penned a letter to the judge in September, prior to his sentencing. He letter read, “Your honor, I make no excuse for my actions and I take full responsibility for what I’ve done. If I could turn back the hand of time, I would make an entirely different decision and be more careful in the choices and friends I make.”
Abbas, who called himself the “Billionaire Gucci Master” on SnapChat, was caught and arrested due to his social media presence. Watch the video below to learn more about how it happened.
