Black Gang’s Plot to Steal £19Million in Internet Scam Foiled

Daily Mail
December 9, 2013

Aderoju Bammeke and his girlfriend were the UK 'platform' for the Nigerian 'phishing' scam.
Aderoju Bammeke and his girlfriend were the UK ‘platform’ for the Nigerian ‘phishing’ scam.

A young British 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 Bammeke, 22, and his girlfriend Jessica Ogunyemi, 20, both of Manchester, were the UK ‘platform’ for a Nigerian ‘phishing’ scam that made £41,000 in just two months.

The plot, masterminded by a gang in the West African country, 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.

Jessica Ogunyemi and her boyfriend made £41,000 from the scam in just two months.
Jessica Ogunyemi and her boyfriend made £41,000 from the scam in just two months.

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.

Investigators found evidence of the scam on seven devices at Bammeke’s home, which had accessed 181 accounts from his address.

But Barclays found 2,439 customers had been affected and investigators say the true scale of the fraud will never be known.

Bammeke admitted he had been involved in the scam for more than a year. He played a ‘key role’ as England’s ‘platform’ for the scam, the court heard.

He said if the gang had tried to log into accounts from Nigeria it would have triggered the banks’ alarm systems.

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