It came in the name and shaped of an alluring model, waxed in the promise of lucrative business ventures with Saudi royals, a World Cup gig in the USA, meetings with football transfer maestro Fabrizio Romano and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo... and Bebe Cool could not resist.
Singer Moses Ssali, popularly known as Bebe Cool, may have deleted the social media posts that triggered his public fallout with former Miss Rwanda Jolly Mutesi, but the screenshots he shared before taking them down continue to dominate online discussion.
The screenshots, which Bebe Cool presented as evidence to support his claim that he had fallen victim to an elaborate online scam, have attracted attention not only because of the allegations but also because of the extraordinary opportunities allegedly being offered in the conversations.
From East African oil deals and football transfer insider Fabrizio Romano to a potential Fifa World Cup performance and meetings involving Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, the exchanges appeared to promise access to an unlikely range of high-profile opportunities.
The controversy escalated into a legal dispute after Mutesi threatened to sue the singer for defamation. However, the situation appeared to cool after Bebe Cool deleted the posts following intervention by First Son and Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Throughout the saga, Mutesi has maintained that she has never met Bebe Cool and that fraudsters have for years been impersonating her online.
Before the posts disappeared, however, social media users had already begun dissecting the conversations and questioning how so many seemingly unrelated opportunities could be offered through a single WhatsApp exchange.
One of the screenshots focused on regional infrastructure and East Africa's oil sector.
In the conversation, the person Bebe Cool believed to be Mutesi introduced him to the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) project and appeared to suggest access to business opportunities connected to regional oil infrastructure.
“Regional infrastructure Project known as LAPSSET (Lamu Port South Sudan, Ethiopian, Transport Corridor) also in terms of business we can do,” the message read.
“Go through Oloibon Loitiptip Ruto. This is Ruto's right hand man. The pipeline project of oil in East Africa is a hot deal I can fix you in.”
Bebe Cool appeared receptive to the proposal as he had chipped his interest in marketing Uganda's oil and gas sector for investment.
“I also want to discuss the opportunities surrounding the oil because there's still a lot to take advantage of in the oil sector of Uganda,” he replied.
If the oil pitch appeared ambitious, another screenshot suggested there was also a football package attached.
In one exchange, the person promised to connect Bebe Cool's son, footballer Alpha Ssali, to renowned Italian transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.
“By the way I will share your contact to some good agent don't worry he won't charge. He is a good friend. He can always post about your son. He's called Fabrizio. He's good at transfers. He's Italian but speaks English.”
Bebe Cool responded: “Yes I know him (Fabrizio), that will be great.”
By this point, some social media users were already joking that the conversations resembled a premium networking service where oil projects and Europe's most recognisable football transfer insider came bundled together.
The promises did not end there.
Another screenshot suggested the possibility of Bebe Cool performing at one of the world's biggest sporting events, the ongoing Fifa World Cup finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico. He would take to the stage in the US.
“Bebe, I love your song Love You Everyday. I would love you to sing at World Cup in USA.”
There is no evidence that any discussions involving Fifa or World Cup organisers ever existed, but for many online observers, the list of opportunities was becoming increasingly extraordinary.
Then came a request that looked much more familiar to those accustomed to online fraud schemes.
In one exchange, the person claimed that a cousin travelling from California to Uganda urgently needed financial assistance after her house had reportedly been destroyed by fire.
“Also i wanted to disturb u. I have my cousin shes on flight from California to Ug her house got burnt she will be at my place in kololo untill her insurance gets her cash to get another house soon. Bottomline is wanted u to help me send credit on her ug simcard airtel money so she uses it for data, credit etc. Let me share the number for her airtel money.”
For many followers, this was the point where the conversation shifted from celebrity networking to a scenario commonly associated with online impersonation and advance-request scams.
Yet perhaps the most eye-catching promise was still to come.
Another screenshot involved a trip to Saudi Arabia. The Jolly Mutesi impersonator claimed he or she had a meeting with Saudi royals. Bebe Cool expressed interest in joining what appeared to be high-level meetings.
“I need to join you for those meetings,” he wrote.
The response suggested that several influential personalities would be present, including Cristiano Ronaldo. To evade Bebe Cool, the person made it so that it was not immediately possible for him to join in but offered a next-time.
“Yes i go on friday now maybe i can invite you on the next one coz its early feb Because there are big people u will love meeting. Also Cr7 will be in these meetings coz they are using him for the football promotions.”
By then, social media users were left wondering what else could possibly have been added to the list.
The conversations had already touched on East African oil projects, Fabrizio Romano, a potential Fifa World Cup performance and meetings involving Cristiano Ronaldo.
Yet one crucial question remains unresolved: was Bebe Cool communicating with the real Jolly Mutesi or with an impersonator?
Mutesi has consistently maintained that she was not involved and that she has never had any personal dealings with the Ugandan musician.
She told the Nile Post on Wednesday that she did not meet Bebe Cool in London or the Emirates Stadium where the singer claimed it all started from.
Many Ugandans following his exposes waited with bated breath for a video or picture of the pair together. Nothing came forth, at least for now.
Instead one screenshot showed that he had doled out Shs4 million for an arrangement abroad as the scammer waxed lyrical about investments in Uganda saying Bebe Cool was only person s/he could trust in the country.
The scammer had only mentioned Circumference and Love You Everyday but Bebe Cool is probably hearing the refrains of his nemesis Bobi Wine's Kiwaani more often instead.
"Kiwaani kiwaani (Buli omu asiba kiwaani)..."
As the public feud gradually subsides following Bebe Cool's decision to delete his posts, the screenshots continue to circulate widely online, generating debate about celebrity impersonation, online scams and the extraordinary promises that can sometimes accompany them.
Whether the exchanges were genuine or the work of a sophisticated impersonator may ultimately be determined elsewhere.
For now, however, the screenshots have taken on a life of their own, with many observers focusing less on the dispute itself and more on the remarkable list of opportunities that were allegedly on offer.