According to a report from KentLive, a Nigerian couple, Luciana Akanbi and Femi Akanbi, have been sentenced to three years and nine months in jail in the UK for running a large-scale fraud that involved stealing personal information from Transport for London staff.
The couple went to jail after being found guilty of filing false tax rebate applications with HM Revenue and Customs, which cost the government more than £433,000.
Between September 2021 and January 2022, the scam involved 139 bogus claims that used the personal information of at least 40 employees. It also involved accessing records of more than 100 staff members.
According to prosecutors, Luciana Akanbi, who worked in Transport for London’s human resources department, used her job to get sensitive information such bank records, passport information, and National Insurance numbers.
Judge David Miller said that the incident was the worst data breach in the agency’s history when he gave his decision. He said it had a big effect on worker morale and operations.
“The money lost to HMRC was more than £433,000 and was quickly lost in a complicated money laundering scheme,” the judge added.
The court heard that the fraud took a lot of planning and several different methods, and the money was traced to accounts related to both defendants.
Prosecutors said the operation was complicated and affected a lot of people, and evidence suggested that some of the money was spent through casino accounts.
The court also heard that the crime was partly caused by financial problems, such as a gambling addiction that got worse because of illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Judge Miller said that both defendants were key players in the plot and that Luciana’s access as a trusted employee made the breach conceivable.
After the punishment, Transport for London said it has improved its data protection procedures to stop it from happening again. HM Revenue and Customs, on the other hand, said it will keep going after people who commit tax fraud.
The court said that the couple can be sent back to their home country once they serve their time in prison.
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