Hushpuppi, Mr Woodbery Pick up for $34 Million COVID-19 Relief Fraud
Ray Hushipuppi, Nigerian Instagram big boy, may presently be in far bigger trouble than his friend, Mompha, who was picked up by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for fraud and money laundering in 2019, according to an unverified report.
An unconfirmed report by Kemi Olunloyo had it that Hushipuppi and Mr. Woodbery were arrested by Interpol in Dubai on Tuesday at around 2:30 pm.
Olunloyo said the two were implicated by the US secret service in a Nigerian Unemployment Insurance scam named Scattered Canary.
She said “For those who don’t know what this is, this is money the US government gives us monthly when we lose our jobs while we are looking for another. Somehow the Nigerian ring cracked into the system and filed 174+ fraudulent claims. People’s #COVID19 stimulus payments gone.
“It is too elaborate. Only thing I can say is everyday for the thieves, one day for the owner. It is a dark day in Nigeria. HushPuppi and Woodberry and others are on their way to America. I was also told that their properties have been sealed with warrants.”
In a video shared by one of Nigerians that covered the arrest in Dubai, the person behind the camera could be heard saying “they picked them, they chop COVID-19 VENTILATION MONEY $35 million.” If any of that is true, it means the two filed several applications as unemployed Americans for COVID-19 related relief funds meant for Americans or filed fraudulently for COVID-19 ventilation relief fund for struggling nations.
It should be recalled that Investors King, on October 25, 2019, reported that an American computer forensic researcher on Malware and social network of criminals at the University of Alabama, Gar Warner, mentioned Hushpuppi name immediately Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha was picked up late last year in Lagos.
In a tweet Warner said, “to see the scale of this guy’s criminal earnings, just look at his Instagram account maybe they’ll get his friend #Hushpuppi next ??.” Suggesting that Hushpuppi has always been on the US radar.
While the report is a rumour at best for now, the probability that it happens remains high.
Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.
