4 Arrested for Filing Fake Tax Returns With Stolen Data

Three Nigerian nationals and one UK citizen are facing extradition to the US following their recent arrest for cybercrimes related to a tax refund scam. 

The Department of Justice unsealed indictments of Akinola Taylor, Olayemi Adafin, Olakunle Oyebanjo, and Kazeem Olanrewaju Runsewe, who are accused of breaching US company servers, stealing personal information, and using that data to file fraudulent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax documents and collect refunds. 

The group, on at least once occasion, used cybercrime forum xDedic Marketplace to purchase access to compromised servers and users all over the world, which were then leveraged to steal enough information on US citizens to file false tax returns, the DoJ said. The four men would allegedly direct the returns to accounts under their control and convert the proceeds to purchase prepaid debit cards for their use. 

"Adafin and Oyebanjo assisted in the collection fraud proceeds directed to prepaid debit cards in their possession or to addresses or bank accounts they controlled or to which they had access and transferred a share of the fraud proceeds to other conspirators," according to the DoJ announcement. 

If convicted, each will face a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, the DoJ said.