Nigerians Have Been Arrested For Fraud — AGAIN

This just in from Tuesday, July 21st. I wasn’t going to even blog about it because it’s not like we don’t have enough bad things being said and written about us, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. These people are making it bad for the rest of us! This time, the names listed are three young Nigerians, all right here in my ‘hood (Maryland). And no, I don’t know any of them. Their names are Omolaja Terry Iginla, age 25, of Laurel, Maryland;
Mayowa Olabiyi Towobola, age 24, of Parkville, Maryland; and Hafis Omowonuola Oladokun, age 38, of Owings Mills, Maryland.

It took over 130 law enforcement officers from 9 different agencies to carry out this investigation. The investigation started in 2013 when “Iginla was initially arrested after accepting delivery for two fraudulent Ghanaian passports.  A search warrant executed at Iginla’s apartment recovered, among other items, an Apple iPod which was found to contain the personal identification information (PII) of more than 35,000 individuals, including names, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses; named text files; account numbers and security codes for numerous Green Dot & other prepaid debit cards; business names, addresses, and associated EIN numbers; monetary loss values contained within “text files” associated with the PII of many of the probable identity theft victims residing throughout the United States; and a digital image of a social security card of a probable identity theft victim.” ………….

“According to the criminal complaint, the PII data recovered from the iPod found in Iginla’s apartment was forwarded to the IRS.  Analysis revealed that the stolen PII data recovered from the Apple iPod was used to file approximately 4,500 fraudulent tax returns with the IRS.  The attempted refund amount from these returns is approximately $13,025,000, and over $2,400,000 in refunds has been distributed by the IRS.” ………………..

“Investigation revealed that Oladokun, Towobola and other co-conspirators have cashed approximately 1,105 third party money orders at one check cashing store, totaling approximately $737,373.”

I was so angry when I read this. So, so angry. I remember earlier this year and it was in the news that some people who filed for their taxes did not get anything back because it was told to them that their checks had already been cashed. I wonder now if this had anything to do with these Nigerian crooks. That is horrible and mean. There is only one thing that drives people to commit this kind of crime: greed. They want to live the high life without doing any of the work. Had they used their “brilliance” to start a business or build an app, they would probably be making more money, and it would be legal.

You remember it was about a month ago that someone hacked into my debit card and although they didn’t take all my money and the bit they did take was refunded, it was still shocking and scary and a total nuisance. While some of us are going to bed late and waking up early and sometimes juggling several jobs just to make ends meet, some other lazy, greedy people would rather steal money and identities and most likely spend it recklessly. What did they do with all the money? I can take a wild guess: women, alcohol/drugs/parties, and cars.

It’s not easy being Black in America. It’s not the worst thing on earth, but it’s no walk in the park. It’s even harder being an immigrant, and that much harder being a Black immigrant. Before fellow Africans and before the world, Nigerians are seen as aggressive and arrogant, and as credit card frauds. We want them to know us for the good things, like our bodacious personalities and our love for education and our hard work and our brilliance and our resilience. I am fine with being called arrogant and aggressive, but to be seen as a thief and to be the butt of the joke when it comes to fraud, it’s offensive to me, and people like these three fools listed here are making it that much harder for me. That’s why bigots like Ann Coulter can talk about Nigerians in an issue that has nothing to do with us. I am offended.

I don’t know what will happen to these men boys, but if they are guilty, I hope they face the maximum time in jail, so they can think about what they did. Meanwhile, I’m seriously considering Lifelock or something like it.

Read the full article about the arrest/investigation on the United States Department of Justice site.

P.S. I cannot believe they filed over $13 million worth of fraudulent IRS returns. Ah ah!! Ogini di?? Fear no dey catch them?

P.P.S. I really hope they get the book thrown at them. Lock them up in solitary confinement and throw the keys away. If they are guilty, of course.