Nigerian Instagram star aided North Korea cyber crime, US says


  • TECH
  • Sunday, 21 Feb 2021

US officials say a Nigerian influencer, with the help of a Canadian, aided North Korean hackers to launder money stolen from a Maltese bank. — AFP

A Nigerian social-media celebrity helped North Korean hackers launder money stolen from a Maltese bank, US officials said.

Ramon Olorunwa Abbas played a supporting role in cyber-scams perpetrated by three computer programmers accused of extorting more than US$1.3bil (RM5.25bil) of cash and cryptocurrency, the Justice Department said on Feb 17. Abbas, who is widely known as "Hushpuppi” and is in US custody while awaiting trial, has 2.5 million followers on Instagram, where he regularly posted photographs posing with luxury cars or boarding private jets.

Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Tech News

Legislative roadmap for AI is coming in weeks, Schumer says
Google DeepMind unveils next generation of drug discovery AI model
Google fights $17 billion UK lawsuit over adtech practices
Bain Capital in talks to buy education-software provider PowerSchool, source says
Turkey's competition board to fine Meta $37.2 million in data-sharing probe
SpaceX's unit Starlink secures Indonesia operating permit
Reddit shares soar as earnings show advertising, AI licensing revenue potential
Uber shares tumble as second-quarter forecast disappoints
EU asks X for details on reducing content moderation resources
New York governor regrets saying Black kids in the Bronx don’t know what a computer is

Others Also Read