Instagram told the BBC that Hushpuppi, a Nigerian influencer, and high-profile international fraudster, had his account deactivated because he violated their fraud policies.
“We don’t want anyone to use our apps to defraud or exploit people, and we have clear rules against fraudulent activity – including money laundering,” Meta, which owns Instagram, the spokesperson said in a statement.
“We disabled @hushpuppi’s account for violating these rules,” said the statement.
Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Abbas, used to post luxurious images on Instagram, displaying his 2.8 million followers and his lavish lifestyle.
But his lavish lifestyle came to an end in June 2020, when he was arrested in Dubai, where he lived.
He pleaded guilty to money laundering in a US court less than a year later and is now considered one of the world’s most high-profile fraudsters, according to the FBI.
Unsealed court documents revealed that in his most recent plot, 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.
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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.
On Sunday, Nigerian media reported that his account had been deactivated.
According to Meta’s fraud policies, they strive to “prevent fraudulent activity that can harm people or businesses.”
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