A UK-based Nigerian couple, Luciana and Femi Akanbi, have been jailed for stealing data of over 100 Transport for London employees and using it to fraudulently claim £650,000 tax rebates.

Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday handed the couple sentences of three years and nine months for their roles in the elaborate fraud.

Mrs Akanbi, 38, a human resources staffer at the capital’s transport operator, pressured by her husband, a 51-year-old IT expert, breached and stole her colleagues’ private, personal information.

Investigations revealed that the duo fraudulently used passport numbers, national insurance numbers, and bank details belonging to 40 TfL employees to file 139 fraudulent tax rebate claims with HMRC.

According to the court, the fraud involving Mr and Mrs Akanbi occurred between September 2021 and January 2022, resulting in a loss of £433,000 to the public purse.

Sentencing the couple, the 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. You acquired and used the personal details of 40 employees in relation to making the claims for tax rebates, but accessed (the details of) 107 (employees).”

The judge explained that the couple used 38 computers from their homes to coordinate the fraud that cost the UK government financial loss.

“There were 139 claims in respect of 40 employees by self-assessment accounts being set up by you and others, using 38 computer devices from your own home and others,” the judge stated. “The effect was that there were 139 claims for tax rebates totalling just under £649,000. The money lost to HMRC amounted to just over £433,000. That money was almost instantly dissipated in a complex money laundering scheme.”