26th October, 2010
A Nigerian scam artist resident in Accra, Ghana has been jailed for more than eight years over his role in an airline ticket fraud following his extradition to the US last June.
Ademola Ismaila Adegoke, 43, was jailed for 102 months after he was convicted of using stolen credit card numbers to steal more than $400,000 from US citizens.
Adegoke, who agreed to pay $696,026 in restitution, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in July.
US District Court Judge Liam Oâ€
According to court documents, Adegoke used faxed copies of counterfeit passports and driversâ€
The fraudster used VoIP services to pretend he was calling from the US when, in reality, he was working from cyber cafe in Ghana.
He would then buy more tickets before selling these on to customers, charging a fraction of their true value.
Adegoke purchased the stolen credit cards from underground hacking forums. In all, the fraudster purchased more than 5,000 stolen credit card numbers, which he used to finance $400,000 in fraudulent transactions.
Adegoke was arrested by local police in Ghana back in May before his deportation to the US in late June.
It seems that the fraudsterâ€
This case was investigated by the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, the US Secret Service and the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority.