After authorities discovered that the stolen personal information of Transport for London employees was allegedly used to carry out a tax rebate fraud scheme that cost the public coffers over £433,000, a Nigerian couple named Luciana and Femi Akanbi were imprisoned in the United Kingdom.
The fraud, which occurred between September 2021 and January 2022, was based on sensitive information belonging to at least 40 TfL employees, including passport details, National Insurance numbers, and bank records, which were used to file 139 fictitious tax refund claims, according to a report by Kent Live that PUNCH Metro learned about on Thursday.
Luciana Akanbi, 38, who worked in TfL’s human resources department, had access to the personal details of roughly 107 employees, which were subsequently used for the scam, according to court hearings at Woolwich Crown Court.
According to the prosecution, the pair utilized at least 38 electronic devices that they ran from their home and other locations to construct various self-assessment accounts and submit bogus claims to HM Revenue and Customs using the stolen information.
Authorities verified that the actual loss exceeded £433,000, even though the entire value of claims filed was reported to be close to £650,000.
The court also heard that the fraud’s gains were swiftly laundered through a convoluted network, making it challenging for investigators to collect them.
Judge David Miller stated in his ruling that the case constituted the most serious data breach in the transit authority’s history.
“TfL suffered their worst ever data breach,” Judge Miller stated. They had to alter their systems as a result.
I’ve been told that it had an impact on staff performance and morale. In order to file claims for tax refunds, you obtained and utilized the personal information of forty employees, but you were able to access the information of 107 employees.
“You and others used 38 computers from your own house to set up self-assessment accounts for 40 employees, resulting in 139 claims. As a result, 139 tax refund requests totaling somewhat less than £649,000 were made.
“HMRC lost little more than £433,000. In a sophisticated money laundering scam, that money vanished virtually immediately.
The court heard that Luciana Akanbi, who had worked for TfL since 2017, gained access to 107 employees’ personal information through her job, which was then used to make false claims.
The operation, according to prosecutor Andrew Evans, was complex, involving a lot of victims and careful planning.
According to him, “the fraud was sophisticated in nature, required significant planning, and involved a large number of victims.”
He continued by saying that a sophisticated money laundering network quickly transferred the fraud’s gains.
Femi’s bank account was linked to around £66,000 and his wife’s to £16,000, according to evidence given in court; nonetheless, the court determined that their overall profit from the plan exceeded those sums.
The court also heard that Femi struggled with a gambling addiction after becoming ill during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that financial circumstances played a role in the crime.
According to Judge Miller, more than £50,000 of the pilfered money was deposited into other gambling accounts.
He added that Luciana, a mother of three, first tried to shift the responsibility by speculating that the data breach might have been caused by a cousin in the IT industry.
However, the judge determined that both defendants were essential to the conspiracy and that Luciana’s access as a trusted employee was the sole reason the fraud was conceivable.
Some of these individuals were coworkers of yours, Luciana Akanbi, and they were deeply disappointed.
“Dealing with HMRC, having to restructure your money, and having your credit ratings affected are all detrimental. Third parties suffered severe harm, the judgment declared.
Judge Miller also declared that the couple had no assets that could be recovered and that no compensation order would be issued.
In order to avoid a repeat of the decision, a Transport for London spokesman stated that the company had improved its internal data protection procedures.
“We welcome the court’s sentencing of these two individuals and take fraud cases very seriously.”
“This crime involved working closely with HM Revenue and Customs to secure a successful prosecution and meant that hundreds of thousands of pounds could not be reinvested elsewhere for the wider public benefit,” he stated.
A representative for HM Revenue and Customs issued a warning, stating that the organization will keep going after anybody who try to take advantage of the tax system.
The couple may be deported after serving their terms, the court further stated.
