#Hush puppy scammer trial#

They became known as ‘Yahoo Boys’ since their main tool of operation was Yahoo Mail. Individuals formerly involved in postal fraud now found there was a larger market with emails. In the 1990s, cybercafes emerged across the country, giving the general population access to email. READ MORE Cybercrime: West African banks are under-protected They began as letters mailed to potential victims and evolved into e-mail scams, as it drastically cut the cost of sending. This involved asking an investor to pay a fee upfront or in advance before receiving something of greater value.ĭuring the 1980s, variations of these letters starting coming from Nigeria. The country has long been associated with fraud, which can be traced back to the 1980s when Shehu Shagari’s administration failed to properly tackle high levels of unemployment and poverty, stemming from the economic crisis as a result of declining oil prices.Īn example of mail fraud from the time was ‘advance fee fraud’.

In Nigeria, Hushpuppi’s country of origin, fraud is popularly known as ‘419’ or ‘yahoo yahoo’.

#Hush puppy scammer trial#

Hushpuppi has hired top criminal defence lawyer Louis Shapiro to defend him at the jury trial which was suspended due to Covid-19, but is scheduled to continue on. and a list of two million names of victims.When he was arrested by the FBI - who collaborated with Snapchat, Instagram and Apple - Hushpuppi and his accomplices were found to be in possession of: