An American multinational technology conglomerate, commonly known as Meta has revealed why they deactivated a Nigerian influencer and high-profile international fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi’s Instagram account.
A spokesperson from Meta, said in a statement seen by BBC that his Instagram account was removed because he violated their fraud policies.
He said, “We don’t want anyone to use our apps to defraud or exploit people, and have clear rules against fraudulent activity – including money laundering.
“We disabled @hushpuppi’s account for breaking these rules.”
According to Meta’s fraud policies, they strive to prevent fraudulent activity that can harm people or businesses.
Hushpuppi used to post luxurious images on his Instagram, displaying his expensive lifestyle to his 2.8 million followers.
But that luxury lifestyle came to an abrupt end after he was arrested in Dubai, where he lived, in June 2020.
SaharaReporters had also reported that Hushpuppi wrote to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), complimenting American authorities for arresting him and bringing him to justice for his crimes.
He pleaded guilty to money laundering in a US court less than a year later and is now considered as one of the world’s most high-profile fraudsters, according to the FBI.
According to newly unsealed court documents, in his most recent scheme, he attempted to steal more than $1.1 million ($960 million) from someone who wanted to build a school in Qatar.
He had a global network, with some of his schemes extending from Malta to Mexico.
According to documents filed in California, his crimes cost nearly $24 million, and he now faces a potential 20-year prison sentence.
Despite Hushpuppi’s guilty plea last year, Instagram did not deactivate his account at the time, claiming that they had investigated and decided not to close it.
