Look: The striking similarities between Dubai frauds Com Mirza and Hushpuppi

Both are now in jail for tricking people into investing with them

Published: July 01, 2020 14:40 Mazhar Farooqui, Features Editor - Special Reports

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Extravagant displays of wealth, verified instagram accounts and long lists of victims around the world. Image Credit: Social media

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Nigerian Raymond Abbas aka Hushpuppi and Canadian Aziz Mirza aka Com Mirza have uncanny similarities. Image Credit: Social media

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Hushpuppi was busted by Dubai Police in a $430 million cyber scam last fortnight. Around the same time Burj Khalifa resident Com Mirza was convicted by Dubai Court for a multi-million dollar fraud and sentenced to prison. Image Credit: Social media

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Hushpuppi specialised in creating fake websites and hacking corporate accounts to direct huge payments to accounts controlled by him. Com Mirza, on the other hand, specialised in peddling get rich quick schemes. Image Credit: Social media

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Until their seemingly enviable lives fell apart, they were looked up as role models. Image Credit: Social media

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Currently in jail, both instagram influencers lived in Dubai, passed themselves off as successful businessmen, boasted about their meteoric rise from humble beginnings and flaunted their lavish lifestyle to attract followers and lure in potential victims from as far as the United States, UK, Canada and India. Image Credit: Social media

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Gulf News rounds up some pictures from their Instagram posts to show their common love for designer clothes and luxury cars and expensive watches. Image Credit: Social media

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Did you know? An Instagram account called @BallerBusters is calling out self identifying entrepreneurs who show off a fake, lavish lifestyle to sell young followers mentorship programmes or online classes Image Credit: Social media

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Gulf News trawled their social media pages and found very similar pictures depicting the same aspirational lifestyle here in the emirate Image Credit: Social media

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But this life was a lie. Straight from fast cars and private jets and helicopters Image Credit: Social media

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To flashy watches like this one seen on the wrist of Con Mirza Image Credit: Social media

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It makes you wonder whether you can seriously believe what you see on social media and whether you should be so trusting of people, particularly when investing in someone you thought was a legitimate businessman. Image Credit: Social media

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Look: The striking similarities between Dubai frauds Com Mirza and Hushpuppi

More From Photos

In pictures: Rain, thundershowers across the UAE

Photos: Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival kicks off

Dubai Customs seizes fake goods worth Dh5.43 million

European woman loses Dh500,000 in ‘emotional fraud’

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