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Instagram explains why it deleted Hushpuppi’s account

Hushpuppi

Nigerian influencer and high-profile international fraudster, Hushpuppi is no longer on Instagram.

For the over 1 million people who followed Hushpuppi, you might have realized his account is no longer active. Well, Instagram has a reason.

According to the BBC, Instagram has revealed the account was deactivated because Hushpuppi broke their rules on fraud.

“We don’t want anyone to use our apps to defraud or exploit people, and have clear rules against fraudulent activity – including money laundering,” a spokesperson from Meta, which owns Instagram, said in a statement.

“We disabled @hushpuppi’s account for breaking these rules,” the statement continued.

Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Abbas, 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.

Less than a year later, he pleaded guilty to money laundering in a US court and is considered to be one of the world’s most high-profile fraudsters, according to the FBI.

Unsealed court documents showed that in his last plot, he tried to steal more than $1.1m ($960m) from someone who wanted to build a school in Qatar.

He had a network all over the world, with some of his schemes spreading from Malta to Mexico.

Documents filed in California say that his’ crimes cost nearly $24m, and he now faces a potential 20-year jail sentence.

Despite Hushpuppi’s guilty plea last year, Instagram had not taken down his account at the time, saying they had investigated and decided not to close it.

The current deactivation of his account was first picked up by Nigerian media on Sunday.

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Meta’s rules on fraud says they try to “prevent fraudulent activity that can harm people or businesses”.

 

Source: nydjlive.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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