The US Justice Department on Wednesday unsealed charges against two Nigerian nationals accused of hacking into the systems of multiple tax preparation companies as part of a scheme that could have gotten them millions of dollars.
The two suspects are Matthew Akande, 35, of Mexico, and Kehinde Oyetunji, 33, of North Dakota. Oyetunji pleaded guilty to hacking and fraud-related charges in late 2022, but he has yet to be sentenced.
Akande was also indicted back in 2022, but the charges were only unsealed now because the man was recently arrested in the UK. The US is seeking his extradition.
According to authorities, Akande, Oyetunji and others were part of a scheme that involved sending malicious emails designed to deliver a remote access trojan known as Warzone RAT to five tax preparation firms in Massachusetts.
The malware gave the cybercriminals access to the tax firms’ systems, enabling them to steal personal and tax information belonging to clients. The stolen information was used to request tax refunds on behalf of victims.
The refunds were directed to bank accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy. The cybercrooks filed over 1,000 fraudulent tax returns hoping to obtain over $8.1 million, but they only managed to get $1.3 million.
Akande and Oyetunji were investigated for alleged crimes that occurred between June 2016 and June 2021.
Tax return preparation firms are a tempting target for profit-driven cybercriminals, who often pose as customers in an attempt to deliver malware that can enable them to access valuable information.
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