Sunday, 8 December 2013

Photos: Young Nigerian couple jailed in the UK for internet banking scam

Nigerian couple, 22 year old Aderoju Bammeke, (pictured
left) and his girlfriend 20 year old Jessica Ogunyemi,
(pictured right) have been jailed in the UK for being part of a
Nigerian gang that hacked into the accounts of several people
and stole thousands of pounds from them, Daily Mail UK
reports

"The couple were part of a global internet banking scam
which could have netted a phenomenal £19million after
hacking the accounts of nearly 2,500 people. Aderoju and
Jessica were the UK 'platform' for a Nigerian 'phishing'
scam that made £41,000 in just two months.

The plot, masterminded by a gang in Nigeria, involved
sending fake emails to customers of banks including
Barclays and Halifax. The emails told recipients that their
accounts had been hacked and asked them to complete a
form with their log-in details. But when victims obliged,
Bammeke stepped in and helped the gang log in to steal
money.

Fashion marketing student Ogunyemi, his girlfriend at the
time, helped him launder the proceeds by putting funds in
accounts, hiding cash and allowing him to buy her a £2,400
Vauxhall Corsa.

Bammeke has now been jailed for three-and-a-half years at
Manchester Crown Court after admitting conspiracy to
commit fraud and unauthorised computer use.

Ogunyemi admitted five counts of money laundering and was
given a suspended prison sentence.
Michael Lavery, defending Ogunyemi, said she had brought
shame on her family, including her train driver father and
mother who works for Manchester council.

He said she had been 'naive', was predicted to get a first in her
degree and was no longer in a relationship with Bammeke.
Bammeke had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to
conspiracy to commit fraud and unauthorised computer use
while Ogunyemi admitted five counts of money laundering.

Sentencing Bammeke, Judge Recorder Gibson said: 'This in
my opinion was a sophisticated fraud, a clever fraud and a
fraud which could very easily have resulted in very much
more substantial money being stolen.'

He jailed Ogunyemi for a year, suspended for two years, and
ordered her to complete 180 hours' unpaid work.

After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Janet Hudson of
TITAN, the North-West Regional Crime Unit, said: 'The
actions of Bammeke and Ogunyemi caused a great deal of
stress and uncertainty to many affected bank customers who
had their accounts accessed.

'As a result of the investigation, no customers were left out of
pocket and the offenders were arrested and ultimately
sentenced. Internet banking is considered a safe and secure
method of banking.

'However, bank customers need to remain vigilant and aware
of the danger posed by fraudsters. Customers should only ever
navigate directly to an online bank website and should never
click on any link sent to them through an email.

'Additionally when accessing bank accounts online customers
should always be aware of the exact address in order to ensure
that they are actually on a legitimate banking website.'

Via: Dailymail

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