By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 14:46 EST, 28 September 2012 | UPDATED: 16:23 EST, 28 September 2012



Nigerian couple tried to claim £3.8m in ‘eye watering’ benefits scam using 1,400 identities

Adeola Thomas, 38, assisted by his partner, Abimbola Abiola, 34, secured £87,000 from fraudulent claims totalling £3.8million over four years
Thomas used 1,400 stolen identities to complete 2,495 handwritten tax and benefits claims forms
HMRC suspicions were raised when he used the same address for all the claims
Thomas, an illegal immigrant, was jailed for seven years while Abiola, also a Nigerian national with leave to remain in the UK, received two-and-a-half years


A Nigerian couple who tried to claim £3.8million in an ‘eye-watering’ benefits scam using 1,400 stolen identities have been jailed for a total of almost 10 years.

Adeola Thomas, 38, assisted by his partner, Abimbola Abiola, 34, managed to pocket £87,000 after submitting almost 2,500 handwritten applications for tax credits and benefits.

The pair spent the money on designer clothing and electrical items including a 50-inch plasma television.


But the fraud was discovered when benefits staff noticed the same address was being used for multiple claims, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Thomas, an illegal immigrant, was jailed for seven years while Abiola, also a Nigerian national with leave to remain in the UK, received two-and-a-half years.

Passing sentence, Judge William Kennedy said: ‘This was no less than a criminal industry, with simple and eye watering criminality designed to maximise the loss to the public.

‘It was a difficult investigation carried out with skill and tenacity.

‘The largest single joint conspiracy [of its kind] for these departments and the actual loss was kept down because of the work of both departments.’

Judge Kennedy also indicated that both Thomas and Abiola should be deported at the end of their prison terms.

The pair, who carried out the scam between January 3, 2007 and October 7, 2011, tried to claim £827,000 from HMRC, securing £43,000.

They also claimed £3 million from the Department of Work and Pensions and received £44,000.

With Abiola’s help, Thomas used stolen personal details to complete 2,495 handwritten application forms, which were sent to the appropriate departments for processing.


It is believed that others unknown to investigators, also provided postal addresses and assisted with correspondence.

When the claims were successful, the pair withdrew cash from acquaintances' bank accounts or from bogus post office accounts that Thomas, who masterminded the scam, had set up.

As well as analysing tax credit records, computer systems, hand written application forms and bank account details and listening to hours of recorded phones calls to the Tax Credit Helpline, HMRC investigators viewed CCTV footage showing activity outside various North London Post Office ATMs and carried out surveillance on Thomas.

He was arrested outside a cash point at Upper Clacton Post Office in Hackney, east London last October 7 where he was found to be in possession of 17 Post Office accounts.


He also had two mobile phones and two fraudulently completed application forms addressed to Job Centre Plus.

Abiola, a mother-of-one, was caught on the same day with £4,125 cash in her handbag, which she claimed was child benefit payment.

Thomas, of Hackney, east London, admitted three counts of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering.

Abiola, of the same address was found guilty of four counts of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and possession of criminal property following a trial at the court in August.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2210157/Nigerian-couple-tried-claim-3-8m-eye-watering-benefits-scam-using-1-400-identities.html#ixzz2CVFRUM8w
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Photo captions

1. Adeola Thomas, left, was jailed for seven years while his accomplice Abimbola Abiola, right, was locked up for two-and-a-half years for charges relating to identity theft, tax and benefits fraud

2. When the claims were successful, the pair withdrew cash from acquaintances' bank accounts or from bogus post office accounts that Thomas, pictured, had set up

3. Thomas, pictured, was arrested outside a cash point at Upper Clacton Post Office in Hackney, east London last October where he was found to be in possession of 17 Post Office accounts

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2210157/Nigerian-couple-tried-claim-3-8m-eye-watering-benefits-scam-using-1-400-identities.html#ixzz2CVHYci86
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Baby mama:
The woman looks like someone that should be working in a shrine in her village
who gave her visa to London?

Na baba Aje (high priest) gi am visa. You want d link? Fear go let you?

While reading the article I came across a statement that showed that this problem is deep rooted in us as Nigerians from leaders to followers-''Passing sentence, Judge William Kennedy said: ‘This was no less than a criminal industry, with simple and eye watering criminality designed to maximise the loss to the public.

I'll wait and see if this story makes it to the front page of NL.

I can see you easterners are having fun.
Enjoy.

We all have become part of the problem. Our leaders show affluence, their followers want to copy them by hook or crook. Imagine the man in that picture comes home and see a childhood mate of his is now a politician with so much stolen money and oppresses the people he ought to represent, trust Nigerians, the man in the picture may even go as far as rituals to level up with his mate.

We have all lost a sense of what is right or wrong all that matters is money, how it is gotten, nobody questions.

Now everything has gone tribal, arm robbers (Igbo Yoruba names will show), drugs (Igbo Yoruba will show) money laundering (Hausa) criminal hatred for other tribes and religion (Hausa).

This divid is not helpful at all. We have misspent our future, how about our children, how about tolerance. How about patriotism? This country has failed us so much that we don't even know where and when to show solidarity to this country.

Most of us will say solidarity to who, criminals in power? The answer is no, solidarity and patriotism is to your country not the rogues in there. Can we start from loving one another.

If you meet the criminal in this topic and investigate well, you will realise that his dreams were different but probably failed by his country and little options to do anything positive. This is not an excuse for what he did but we need to see that any of us can be caught in such cross fire because of limited options and frustration plus laziness. God bless the FRN

This should be on the front page?

Tyche: This should be on the front page?

Bros, na only filmtrick fit make dis one enter front page.... Dem go ignore am.

Garri_Activist: Gbam!

Funny u mentioned Seun Osewa...the Adeola guy looks like seun somehow