A Nigerian couple, Luciana and Femi Akanbi, have been jailed for three years and nine months each in the UK for what a judge called Transport for London’s “worst ever data breach,” after stealing colleague information to file 139 fraudulent tax claims worth nearly £650,000.
A Nigerian couple has been jailed in the United Kingdom for orchestrating a large-scale fraud involving stolen personal data of Transport for London employees, in a case described as the “worst” data breach in the agency’s history.
Luciana Akanbi, 38, who worked in TfL’s human resources department, accessed sensitive information of her colleagues, including passport details, National Insurance numbers and bank records. She and her husband, Femi, used the data of at least 40 employees to submit 139 fraudulent tax rebate claims to HM Revenue and Customs between September 2021 and January 2022, resulting in losses exceeding £433,000.
Delivering judgment at Woolwich Crown Court, Judge David Miller said, “TfL suffered their worst ever data breach. It meant they had to change their systems. It affected their morale, I am told, and staff performance.”
Prosecutor Andrew Evans described the operation as “sophisticated in nature, required significant planning and involved a large number of victims.”
Judge Miller added that the couple caused “immense damage to third parties,” including damaged credit ratings. Both were sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment. The court indicated the couple could face deportation proceedings after serving their sentences. A TfL representative said, “We take any cases of fraud extremely seriously.”