A Nigerian couple has been sentenced to prison in the United Kingdom for orchestrating a large-scale fraud involving the theft of sensitive data belonging to over 100 staff of Transport for London.
The couple, Luciana Akanbi, 38, and her husband, Femi Akanbi, 51, were convicted for using the stolen information to file fraudulent tax rebate claims worth nearly £650,000 with HM Revenue and Customs.
The Woolwich Crown Court heard that Luciana, who worked in the human resources department of Transport for London, unlawfully accessed confidential staff records, including passport details, National Insurance numbers, and bank information. Investigations revealed that she accessed data belonging to 107 employees, with 40 identities used to submit 139 fake tax rebate claims.
The offences, which occurred between September 2021 and January 2022, resulted in losses exceeding £433,000 in public funds.
Delivering judgment, Judge David Miller described the incident as the “worst ever” data breach in TfL’s history, noting that it forced the organisation to overhaul its internal systems and impacted staff morale and productivity. The court sentenced both defendants to three years and nine months’ imprisonment each.
Prosecutors said the fraud scheme was meticulously planned, involving the use of multiple devices to create fake self-assessment accounts. A significant portion of the stolen funds was laundered through complex financial channels, with over £50,000 reportedly traced to gambling activities.
Although some funds were recovered from the couple’s accounts, the court noted that a large portion had already been spent.
Officials from Transport for London stated that the fraud diverted substantial public funds that could have been used for essential services, adding that stronger data protection measures have since been implemented.
Meanwhile, HM Revenue and Customs warned that it would continue to pursue and prosecute individuals involved in tax fraud, reiterating its commitment to safeguarding public funds.
