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World / Middle East

Egyptian fashion blogger arrested, accused of $60,000 fraud

Published: 14 Dec 2022 - 01:58 pm | Last Updated: 14 Dec 2022 - 02:23 pm
Peninsula

Doha: Egyptian influencer Hadeer Atef who has over 2.5 million followers on Instagram and her ex-husband, Bilal Mahmoud, have been accused of cheating 16 people off more than 1.5 million Egyptian pounds ($60,000) through various online channels.  

A statement from Egypt's Ministry of Interior said that Mahmoud, who is the primary suspect in the fraud has been arrested from a rented apartment in Giza where he was hiding out. It further said that on questioning, the man confessed to the crime. 

Mahmoud has been accused of defrauding about 200 people by claiming to invest in various businesses that he pretended to own. This scheme was promoted by Atef on her social media accounts. The Ministry received complaints from 16 citizens accusing Atef and the others of cheating. 

 

 

Atef's lawyer told the National News that her sister-in-law and husband were also arrested because of their involvement, adding that the blogger might remain in custody for investigation. 

The lawyer further said that his client was unaware of the misuse of her accounts and had no role to play in the fraud.