Manchester couple in internet bank phishing scam that 'could have netted £19m'
The plot, masterminded by a Nigerian gang, saw Aderoju Bammeke, 22, from Harpurhey as a ‘key player’ in a ‘phishing’ scam which made £41,000 in just two months.
Aderoju Bammeke, left, and Jessica Ogunyemi took part in the international ‘phishing’ scam which targeted online customers of banks including Halifax and Barclays
A couple took part in a global internet banking scam which could have netted £19m after the accounts of more than 2,400 people were hacked into.
Aderoju Bammeke, 22, from Harpurhey , was a ‘key player’ in a ‘phishing’ scam which made £41,000 in just two months.
The plot was masterminded by a Nigerian gang and saw fake emails sent to customers of banks including Barclays and Halifax.
The emails claimed their accounts had been hacked and asked them to complete a form with their log in details.
When customers obliged, Bammeke then stepped in and helped the gang harvest account details and log in to steal cash. His girlfriend, fashion marketing student Jessica Ogunyemi, 20, of Withington, helped him launder the proceeds by putting money 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.
Investigators found evidence of the scam on seven devices at Bammeke’s home in Bankhall Walk 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 for more than a year - and the operation had the potential to net more than £19m.
Prosecutor Peter Warne told the court: “This was a complicated and skillfully planned fraud which had the potential to make millions.
“The criminal activity was stopped early but there was potential to access in excess of £19m.”
Bammeke played a ‘key role’ as England’s ‘platform’ for the scam. He said if the gang had tried to log into accounts from Nigeria it would have triggered the banks’ alarm systems.
Simon Nichol, defending Bammeke, said he felt regret and remorse for his actions.
He said his involvement – which began to tackle student debt – was ‘sporadic’ and although the scam was large scale with international dimensions, Bammeke’s part was not.
He added: “They needed a platform in this jurisdiction and they needed someone to provide that platform. He allowed them to use his computer remotely. He expresses further regret that he got his girlfriend involved in this.”
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. Jailing him for three-and-a-half years, 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, Det Supt 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 accountsaccessed.
“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.”
£8,000 transaction set alarm bells ringing and exposed huge web of deceit
Bammeke's part in the international banking scam was exposed when a transaction of just over £8,000 on a Barclays account sparked alarm bells.
When Barclays contacted the customer, their suspicions were confirmed.
In partnership with Barclays Bank, North West Regional Cyber Crime Unit launched an investigation and discovered that 181 accounts had been accessed using an internet connection that originated from Bammeke’s home address in Harpurhey. Aided by the National Cyber Crime Unit, officers got a warrant to raid Bammeke’s home.
As police entered, the couple barricaded themselves into a bedroom and tried to destroy laptops and iPhones which had been used in the scam.
When police broke through the barricade, they found £2,000 hidden in Ogunyemi’s handbag, which had been stashed there by Bammeke.
They found more cash in Bammeke’s wallet.
In the house they also uncovered high-value items, including designer clothes.
When his mobile, laptop and other ‘devices’ were examined, they were found to contain traces of the phishing fraud.
They found Bammeke had accessed 132 accounts from his home address just between May 15 and 21. And altogether, the gang had accessed the accounts of more than 2,400 customers.
Brazen Bammeke had even ordered pizza using Halifax account details obtained through the phishing scam. On arrest, both defendants initially denied the charges but later admitted their guilt.
Ogunyemi’s evidence formed a large part of the prosecution’s case.
She said when she started dating Bammeke aged just 17 she had believed his story that his money came from his father’s business in finance. But she later became aware of the truth – and accepted a car worth £2,300 he gave her. She also admitted putting money into accounts, and paying money to someone called ‘Miller’ in Nigeria.
She told police Bammeke had £10,000 stashed away in a house – but this was never recovered.
When questioned, Bammeke originally blamed his cousin for the fraud before finally admitting the charges. He said he had become involved in March 2012.
Aderoju Bammeke, 22, from Harpurhey , was a ‘key player’ in a ‘phishing’ scam which made £41,000 in just two months.
The plot was masterminded by a Nigerian gang and saw fake emails sent to customers of banks including Barclays and Halifax.
The emails claimed their accounts had been hacked and asked them to complete a form with their log in details.
When customers obliged, Bammeke then stepped in and helped the gang harvest account details and log in to steal cash. His girlfriend, fashion marketing student Jessica Ogunyemi, 20, of Withington, helped him launder the proceeds by putting money 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.
Investigators found evidence of the scam on seven devices at Bammeke’s home in Bankhall Walk 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 for more than a year - and the operation had the potential to net more than £19m.
Prosecutor Peter Warne told the court: “This was a complicated and skillfully planned fraud which had the potential to make millions.
“The criminal activity was stopped early but there was potential to access in excess of £19m.”
Bammeke played a ‘key role’ as England’s ‘platform’ for the scam. He said if the gang had tried to log into accounts from Nigeria it would have triggered the banks’ alarm systems.
Simon Nichol, defending Bammeke, said he felt regret and remorse for his actions.
He said his involvement – which began to tackle student debt – was ‘sporadic’ and although the scam was large scale with international dimensions, Bammeke’s part was not.
He added: “They needed a platform in this jurisdiction and they needed someone to provide that platform. He allowed them to use his computer remotely. He expresses further regret that he got his girlfriend involved in this.”
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. Jailing him for three-and-a-half years, 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, Det Supt 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 accountsaccessed.
“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.”
£8,000 transaction set alarm bells ringing and exposed huge web of deceit
Bammeke's part in the international banking scam was exposed when a transaction of just over £8,000 on a Barclays account sparked alarm bells.
When Barclays contacted the customer, their suspicions were confirmed.
In partnership with Barclays Bank, North West Regional Cyber Crime Unit launched an investigation and discovered that 181 accounts had been accessed using an internet connection that originated from Bammeke’s home address in Harpurhey. Aided by the National Cyber Crime Unit, officers got a warrant to raid Bammeke’s home.
As police entered, the couple barricaded themselves into a bedroom and tried to destroy laptops and iPhones which had been used in the scam.
When police broke through the barricade, they found £2,000 hidden in Ogunyemi’s handbag, which had been stashed there by Bammeke.
They found more cash in Bammeke’s wallet.
In the house they also uncovered high-value items, including designer clothes.
When his mobile, laptop and other ‘devices’ were examined, they were found to contain traces of the phishing fraud.
They found Bammeke had accessed 132 accounts from his home address just between May 15 and 21. And altogether, the gang had accessed the accounts of more than 2,400 customers.
Brazen Bammeke had even ordered pizza using Halifax account details obtained through the phishing scam. On arrest, both defendants initially denied the charges but later admitted their guilt.
Ogunyemi’s evidence formed a large part of the prosecution’s case.
She said when she started dating Bammeke aged just 17 she had believed his story that his money came from his father’s business in finance. But she later became aware of the truth – and accepted a car worth £2,300 he gave her. She also admitted putting money into accounts, and paying money to someone called ‘Miller’ in Nigeria.
She told police Bammeke had £10,000 stashed away in a house – but this was never recovered.
When questioned, Bammeke originally blamed his cousin for the fraud before finally admitting the charges. He said he had become involved in March 2012.
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