Hushpuppi : Crime King hiding in plain sight

 👋 This morning we’re highlighting Hushpuppi- the social media influencer known for his inspirational posts and extremely extravagant lifestyle, but very vague on how he amassed all his wealth. Well, long story short.. it wasn’t legal.

Influencer and/or Scammer?

Hushpuppi, whose legal name is Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, was the ringleader in a sophisticated cybercrime syndicate that primarily focused on a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam. We wrote about BEC scams before in a previous newsletter- check it out here: BEC SCAMS

But as a quick refresher, BEC Scams involve hacking into legitimate businesses email accounts to manipulate communications and redirect financial transactions to fraudulent accounts. Ramon and his collaborators used social engineering tactics, phishing, and email spoofing to deceive victims and initiate unauthorized money transfers.

The BEC scams orchestrated by Hushpuppi and his co-conspirators targeted law firms, individuals, and financial institutions worldwide. It's reported that $138 million was stolen in various cybercrimes by Ramon and his team.

Law Firm Heist 💰

In a specific instance detailed in the federal indictments, a New York law firm wired $922,857 to a Chase Bank account controlled by Hushpuppi. The intended recipient of this money was a client who had refinanced real estate at another Bank.

A paralegal at the law firm was contacted via fax and asked to redirect the payment to the Chase account, seemingly by the client's request. The paralegal called the number on the fax to confirm the details of the transfer and then initiated the transfer, believing everything was in order.

However, the fax and person on the call was actually orchestrated by someone linked to Hushpuppi, who deceptively inserted themselves into the transaction.

The government claims that Hushpuppi, and other collaborators, including at times North Korean state-sponsored hackers, targeted substantial sums of money from businesses and banks, amassing over $100 million, including sizable amounts from a Premier League soccer club.

Pride comes before a fall 🚔

Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, saw his extravagant world come crashing down when he was ultimately arrested in Dubai, due to a coordinated investigation led by the FBI in partnership with various international law enforcement agencies. He now faces 11 years in prison.

It's one thing to deceive and siphon off millions of dollars from numerous individuals and entities globally, but the audacity to flaunt the ill-gotten gains on social media, sharing motivational quotes and inspirational messages, displays a layer of arrogance that is hard to comprehend.

It’s crazy to think that if he didn’t showcase his lucrative lifestyle all over social media, he probably would’ve never been caught!

 💡Don't Get Got !

P.S. Your experiences matter. If you've encountered a scam/hack or have insights to share, we invite you to email us. Let's build a community that stands against cyber threats.