By Ayo Kehinde
A United Kingdom court has jailed a Nigerian couple, Luciana and Femi Akanbi, for orchestrating a large-scale fraud scheme that exploited stolen personal data of employees of Transport for London (TfL), resulting in losses exceeding £433,000 to the public purse.
The couple were each sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment by Woolwich Crown Court after being found guilty of submitting fraudulent tax rebate claims to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) using unlawfully obtained staff records.
The court heard that Luciana Akanbi, 38, who worked within TfL’s human resources system, abused her position of trust to access highly sensitive personal data belonging to colleagues, including passport details, National Insurance numbers, and banking information. In total, she accessed records of 107 employees, with at least 40 individuals directly targeted in the fraud.
Prosecutors revealed that the couple used the stolen identities to submit 139 fraudulent tax rebate claims between September 2021 and January 2022, with total claims approaching £649,000. Of that amount, more than £433,000 was successfully paid out before the scheme was uncovered.
Describing the case as the most severe internal data breach in TfL’s history, the presiding judge, David Miller, said the crimes had far-reaching consequences beyond financial loss.
“This was a serious and sustained fraud involving a significant breach of trust”, the judge said, noting that the unauthorised access to employee records forced TfL to overhaul its internal systems and triggered widespread distress among affected staff.
The court was told that victims suffered disruption to their financial lives, including compromised credit ratings and prolonged engagements with tax authorities to resolve fraudulent claims made in their names.
Prosecutor Andrew Evans described the operation as “sophisticated and highly organised”, involving the use of 38 different devices to process claims and move funds through multiple channels in a coordinated laundering effort.
Femi Akanbi was identified as a key enabler of the scheme, acting as a conduit in processing fraudulent claims and handling proceeds. Evidence presented showed that tens of thousands of pounds were funnelled into gambling accounts, with the court linking the crime partly to financial pressures and gambling addiction following the COVID-19 period.
The judge, however, dismissed any mitigating justification, stressing that both defendants were “at the epicentre” of a deliberate and calculated fraud made possible by insider access.
“You abused a position of trust and caused immense damage—not only to your employer but to innocent colleagues whose personal data was exploited”, he said.
Although £66,000 and £16,000 were traced to Femi and Luciana Akanbi, respectively, the court held that their actual gains were significantly higher but had been dissipated. No compensation order was made due to a lack of recoverable assets.
Reacting to the judgement, TfL confirmed that the breach had prompted immediate structural reforms, including stricter data access controls and enhanced monitoring systems to prevent insider abuse.
HMRC also welcomed the conviction, warning that it would continue to pursue individuals who attempt to exploit the tax system, stressing that such fraud directly undermines public services funded by taxpayers.
