A 24-year-old Nigerian, Taiwo Lawal Owonifari, has been jailed in the United Kingdom after orchestrating a sophisticated fraud in which he posed as a bank fraud officer to deceive victims into handing over more than £56,000.
Lawal Owonifari was sentenced after admitting his role in a courier fraud scheme that targeted bank customers by convincing them their accounts had been compromised.
The Africa Media gathered that he falsely claimed to be a member of a bank’s fraud team and persuaded victims to transfer money or surrender their bank cards under the guise of protecting their savings.
Investigators said the scam relied on telephone calls in which victims were told suspicious activity had been detected on their accounts. They were instructed to move money into what they believed were safe accounts controlled by the bank but in reality, the accounts were under the control of the fraudsters, allowing them to steal more than £56,000.
Prosecutors told the court that Lawal Owonifari played a key role in the operation by impersonating a legitimate bank fraud officer, exploiting the trust victims place in financial institutions. The deception caused significant financial losses and emotional distress, particularly among vulnerable victims.
In 2022, NEROCU officers identified a Courier Fraud crime series spanning across the country and impacting 14 different victims – one of which was in the Sunderland area.
Victims had been contacted via telephone by persons purporting to be from the fraud department of their bank and convinced victims their accounts had been compromised.
The criminals then persuaded victims to provide their bank cars and pins to couriers who came to their home to collect- all to support their ‘investigation’ and to stop the fraud.
In total, £56K had been scammed and was quickly being spent on phones, designer clothes and expensive jewellery.
Lawal-Owinifari was arrested by NEROCU officers and despite his attempts to evade court, later admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and yesterday was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.
The court heard that courier fraud has become an increasingly common form of organised crime in the UK. Criminals typically contact victims by phone while pretending to be from a bank or the police, warning of fraudulent activity before persuading them to hand over money, bank cards or sensitive financial information.
Following the sentencing, investigators urged members of the public to remain vigilant against unsolicited calls claiming to be from banks or law enforcement.
Police stressed that genuine banks will never ask customers to transfer money into a “safe account” or request bank cards, PINs or passwords over the phone. Anyone receiving such a call is advised to end the conversation immediately and contact their bank using an official number.
The conviction forms part of continuing efforts by UK authorities to crack down on fraud networks that exploit public confidence in banks and other trusted institutions.
NEROCU Detective Constable Andy Thompson, in charge of the investigation, said: “Courier fraud is an incredibly complex and manipulative crime which sees criminals gaining the trust of their victims using incredibly effective and convincing tactics – leaving the victims with emotional and economic suffering.
Detective Inspector Gillian Coulson, of the NEROCU, added: “I want to thank everyone involved in this investigation, thanks to their hard work we have been able to secure justice for those victims and prevented further harm to others.
This is just the latest sentencing under the banner of Operation Sentinel and our dedicated officers will continue dismantling illegal fraud operations and ensuring those responsible face the consequences of their actions.”
