Nigerian, Daniel Adekunle Ojo, who had spent less than 14
months in the United States, has been arrested in Durham, North
Carolina and charged with fraud and identity theft offences
The offences stemmed from Ojo’s phishing scheme, using an
AOL and GMail email accounts that targeted school districts in
Connecticut and Minnesota in an effort to get employees’ personal
information and file bogus tax returns.
His arrest was announced Friday by Deirdre M. Daly, United
States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Patricia M. Ferrick,
Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation, and Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of
Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation in New England.
Following his arrest at his Durham residence, Ojo appeared
before a U.S. magistrate judge in Greensboro, N.C., and was ordered
detained pending his transfer to the District of Connecticut.
Prosecutors said a school district employee in Glastonbury,
Connecticut, received an email in February that appeared to be sent by
another employee, who asked for tax information for 1,600 school
district workers. The worker who received the email then forwarded the
information, which was used in the scheme to file 122 bogus tax returns
seeking nearly $600,000 in refunds, authorities said.
Officials said the Internal Revenue Service processed about
six of the fake returns and electronically deposited nearly $37,000 in
refunds to various bank accounts.
Investigators linked the email sent to the employee to Ojo, prosecutors said.
Officials also believe Ojo was involved in similar email
schemes targeting school districts in Groton, Connecticut, and
Bloomington, Minnesota.
In March, a Groton school employee emailed tax information
of 1,300 employees in response to an email that appeared to be from the
superintendent of schools. Authorities said the information was used to
file about 66 fraudulent tax returns seeking about $364,000 in refunds.
Officials said the fake returns weren’t processed because they had been
flagged as being part of an identity theft scheme after school employees
discovered the problem.
Prosecutors also said they linked the email account used by
Ojo to a similar scam that obtained tax information for about 2,800
school employees in Bloomington earlier this year.
Eric Placke, a federal public defender in North Carolina who
represented Ojo only for his initial court appearance, declined to
comment Friday. It’s not clear who Ojo’s attorney will be in
Connecticut.
Authorities said Ojo entered the U.S. in May 2016 on a
visitor’s visa and failed to leave on his scheduled departure date in
June 2016.
Daly urged the public to double-check links and email
addresses before clicking on and responding to them, to avoid becoming
an identity theft victim.
His arrest was
announced Friday by Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the
District of Connecticut, Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of
the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Joel
P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service
Criminal Investigation in New England
Following his arrest at his Durham residence, Ojo appeared before a U.S.
magistrate judge in Greensboro, N.C., and was ordered detained pending
his transfer to the District of Connecticut.
Prosecutors said a school district employee in Glastonbury, Connecticut,
received an email in February that appeared to be sent by another
employee, who asked for tax information for 1,600 school district
workers. The worker who received the email then forwarded the
information, which was used in the scheme to file 122 bogus tax returns
seeking nearly $600,000 in refunds, authorities said.
Officials said the Internal Revenue Service processed about six of the
fake returns and electronically deposited nearly $37,000 in refunds to
various bank accounts.
Investigators linked the email sent to the employee to Ojo, prosecutors
said.
Officials also believe Ojo was involved in similar email schemes
targeting school districts in Groton, Connecticut, and Bloomington,
Minnesota.
In March, a Groton school employee emailed tax information of 1,300
employees in response to an email that appeared to be from the
superintendent of schools. Authorities said the information was used to
file about 66 fraudulent tax returns seeking about $364,000 in refunds.
Officials said the fake returns weren’t processed because they had been
flagged as being part of an identity theft scheme after school employees
discovered the problem.
Prosecutors also said they linked the email account used by Ojo to a
similar scam that obtained tax information for about 2,800 school
employees in Bloomington earlier this year.
Eric Placke, a federal public defender in North Carolina who represented
Ojo only for his initial court appearance, declined to comment Friday.
It’s not clear who Ojo’s attorney will be in Connecticut.
Authorities said Ojo entered the U.S. in May 2016 on a visitor’s visa
and failed to leave on his scheduled departure date in June 2016.
Daly urged the public to double-check links and email addresses before
clicking on and responding to them, to avoid becoming an identity theft
victim.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/nigerian-adekunle-ojo-arrested-identity-theft-us/
His arrest was
announced Friday by Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the
District of Connecticut, Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of
the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Joel
P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service
Criminal Investigation in New England
Following his arrest at his Durham residence, Ojo appeared before a U.S.
magistrate judge in Greensboro, N.C., and was ordered detained pending
his transfer to the District of Connecticut.
Prosecutors said a school district employee in Glastonbury, Connecticut,
received an email in February that appeared to be sent by another
employee, who asked for tax information for 1,600 school district
workers. The worker who received the email then forwarded the
information, which was used in the scheme to file 122 bogus tax returns
seeking nearly $600,000 in refunds, authorities said.
Officials said the Internal Revenue Service processed about six of the
fake returns and electronically deposited nearly $37,000 in refunds to
various bank accounts.
Investigators linked the email sent to the employee to Ojo, prosecutors
said.
Officials also believe Ojo was involved in similar email schemes
targeting school districts in Groton, Connecticut, and Bloomington,
Minnesota.
In March, a Groton school employee emailed tax information of 1,300
employees in response to an email that appeared to be from the
superintendent of schools. Authorities said the information was used to
file about 66 fraudulent tax returns seeking about $364,000 in refunds.
Officials said the fake returns weren’t processed because they had been
flagged as being part of an identity theft scheme after school employees
discovered the problem.
Prosecutors also said they linked the email account used by Ojo to a
similar scam that obtained tax information for about 2,800 school
employees in Bloomington earlier this year.
Eric Placke, a federal public defender in North Carolina who represented
Ojo only for his initial court appearance, declined to comment Friday.
It’s not clear who Ojo’s attorney will be in Connecticut.
Authorities said Ojo entered the U.S. in May 2016 on a visitor’s visa
and failed to leave on his scheduled departure date in June 2016.
Daly urged the public to double-check links and email addresses before
clicking on and responding to them, to avoid becoming an identity theft
victim.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/nigerian-adekunle-ojo-arrested-identity-theft-us/
His arrest was
announced Friday by Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the
District of Connecticut, Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of
the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Joel
P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service
Criminal Investigation in New England
Following his arrest at his Durham residence, Ojo appeared before a U.S.
magistrate judge in Greensboro, N.C., and was ordered detained pending
his transfer to the District of Connecticut.
Prosecutors said a school district employee in Glastonbury, Connecticut,
received an email in February that appeared to be sent by another
employee, who asked for tax information for 1,600 school district
workers. The worker who received the email then forwarded the
information, which was used in the scheme to file 122 bogus tax returns
seeking nearly $600,000 in refunds, authorities said.
Officials said the Internal Revenue Service processed about six of the
fake returns and electronically deposited nearly $37,000 in refunds to
various bank accounts.
Investigators linked the email sent to the employee to Ojo, prosecutors
said.
Officials also believe Ojo was involved in similar email schemes
targeting school districts in Groton, Connecticut, and Bloomington,
Minnesota.
In March, a Groton school employee emailed tax information of 1,300
employees in response to an email that appeared to be from the
superintendent of schools. Authorities said the information was used to
file about 66 fraudulent tax returns seeking about $364,000 in refunds.
Officials said the fake returns weren’t processed because they had been
flagged as being part of an identity theft scheme after school employees
discovered the problem.
Prosecutors also said they linked the email account used by Ojo to a
similar scam that obtained tax information for about 2,800 school
employees in Bloomington earlier this year.
Eric Placke, a federal public defender in North Carolina who represented
Ojo only for his initial court appearance, declined to comment Friday.
It’s not clear who Ojo’s attorney will be in Connecticut.
Authorities said Ojo entered the U.S. in May 2016 on a visitor’s visa
and failed to leave on his scheduled departure date in June 2016.
Daly urged the public to double-check links and email addresses before
clicking on and responding to them, to avoid becoming an identity theft
victim.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/nigerian-adekunle-ojo-arrested-identity-theft-us/
His arrest was
announced Friday by Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the
District of Connecticut, Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of
the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Joel
P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service
Criminal Investigation in New England
Following his arrest at his Durham residence, Ojo appeared before a U.S.
magistrate judge in Greensboro, N.C., and was ordered detained pending
his transfer to the District of Connecticut.
Prosecutors said a school district employee in Glastonbury, Connecticut,
received an email in February that appeared to be sent by another
employee, who asked for tax information for 1,600 school district
workers. The worker who received the email then forwarded the
information, which was used in the scheme to file 122 bogus tax returns
seeking nearly $600,000 in refunds, authorities said.
Officials said the Internal Revenue Service processed about six of the
fake returns and electronically deposited nearly $37,000 in refunds to
various bank accounts.
Investigators linked the email sent to the employee to Ojo, prosecutors
said.
Officials also believe Ojo was involved in similar email schemes
targeting school districts in Groton, Connecticut, and Bloomington,
Minnesota.
In March, a Groton school employee emailed tax information of 1,300
employees in response to an email that appeared to be from the
superintendent of schools. Authorities said the information was used to
file about 66 fraudulent tax returns seeking about $364,000 in refunds.
Officials said the fake returns weren’t processed because they had been
flagged as being part of an identity theft scheme after school employees
discovered the problem.
Prosecutors also said they linked the email account used by Ojo to a
similar scam that obtained tax information for about 2,800 school
employees in Bloomington earlier this year.
Eric Placke, a federal public defender in North Carolina who represented
Ojo only for his initial court appearance, declined to comment Friday.
It’s not clear who Ojo’s attorney will be in Connecticut.
Authorities said Ojo entered the U.S. in May 2016 on a visitor’s visa
and failed to leave on his scheduled departure date in June 2016.
Daly urged the public to double-check links and email addresses before
clicking on and responding to them, to avoid becoming an identity theft
victim.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/nigerian-adekunle-ojo-arrested-identity-theft-us/
His arrest was
announced Friday by Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the
District of Connecticut, Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of
the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Joel
P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service
Criminal Investigation in New England
Following his arrest at his Durham residence, Ojo appeared before a U.S.
magistrate judge in Greensboro, N.C., and was ordered detained pending
his transfer to the District of Connecticut.
Prosecutors said a school district employee in Glastonbury, Connecticut,
received an email in February that appeared to be sent by another
employee, who asked for tax information for 1,600 school district
workers. The worker who received the email then forwarded the
information, which was used in the scheme to file 122 bogus tax returns
seeking nearly $600,000 in refunds, authorities said.
Officials said the Internal Revenue Service processed about six of the
fake returns and electronically deposited nearly $37,000 in refunds to
various bank accounts.
Investigators linked the email sent to the employee to Ojo, prosecutors
said.
Officials also believe Ojo was involved in similar email schemes
targeting school districts in Groton, Connecticut, and Bloomington,
Minnesota.
In March, a Groton school employee emailed tax information of 1,300
employees in response to an email that appeared to be from the
superintendent of schools. Authorities said the information was used to
file about 66 fraudulent tax returns seeking about $364,000 in refunds.
Officials said the fake returns weren’t processed because they had been
flagged as being part of an identity theft scheme after school employees
discovered the problem.
Prosecutors also said they linked the email account used by Ojo to a
similar scam that obtained tax information for about 2,800 school
employees in Bloomington earlier this year.
Eric Placke, a federal public defender in North Carolina who represented
Ojo only for his initial court appearance, declined to comment Friday.
It’s not clear who Ojo’s attorney will be in Connecticut.
Authorities said Ojo entered the U.S. in May 2016 on a visitor’s visa
and failed to leave on his scheduled departure date in June 2016.
Daly urged the public to double-check links and email addresses before
clicking on and responding to them, to avoid becoming an identity theft
victim.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/nigerian-adekunle-ojo-arrested-identity-theft-us/