A United States-based Nigerian, Opeyemi Olujobi, and his wife, Jennie Davidson have been arrested over an alleged credit card fraud scheme in New York.
The couple risks up to 50 years in prison if convicted.
A statement on Wednesday by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, said Olujobi and his wife were arrested in Poughkeepsie and are expected to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in White Plains.
According to Clayton, the couple allegedly used stolen identities to fraudulently access hundreds of credit card accounts and carried out unauthorised purchases amounting to over $500,000.
The district attorney noted that the defendants were part of a conspiracy that targeted numerous victims through identity theft and account takeovers.
The statement added that the suspects allegedly used personal details such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers, and addresses to impersonate legitimate account holders.
Clayton’s statement further read, “From at least May 2023 through October 2024, Olujobi, Davidson, and/or their co-conspirators contacted a publicly traded consumer financial services company and used other people’s names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers, and addresses to falsely identify themselves as the true accountholders of over 200 store credit card accounts.
“After gaining access to the cardholders’ accounts, the perpetrators changed the address listed on the account to one of four addresses in Hopewell Junction, New York, including their residence, and also altered victims’ phone numbers to those controlled by members of the scheme.”
Clayton said the suspects then reported the cards as lost or stolen and requested replacements, which were delivered to addresses under their control.
The district attorney said that once the suspects had the cards, they allegedly used them to purchase gift cards and other items across multiple retail outlets.
“After they obtained their victims’ credit cards, Olujobi, Davidson, and/or their co-conspirators used those cards at various retail locations to make around $575,000 in unauthorised purchases of gift cards and other merchandise.
“Video surveillance associated with many of these transactions shows Olujobi and Davidson using the stolen cards.”
Clayton further revealed that the suspects sometimes contacted the bank to request approval for declined transactions or to increase credit limits as needed.
The district attorney also alleged that Davidson laundered part of the proceeds through an online betting account before transferring the funds into her personal bank account.
The charge sheet attached to the statement indicated that the suspects were charged with a four-count indictment bordering on conspiracy and fraud.
It added, “Olujobi, 28, and Davidson, 29, are each charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, among other charges.
“Davidson is also charged with money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.”
The district attorney’s statement, however, concluded that the charges were only allegations and that the defendants are presumed innocent until proved guilty in court.
On Wednesday, a US-based Nigerian, Animashaun Adebo, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy over his involvement in a series of business email compromise and romance scams that resulted in more than $50m in losses.
Adebo and his collaborators allegedly orchestrated multiple fraudulent schemes targeting individuals and small businesses across the United States, particularly within the Eastern District of New York.
