Tags: Bombshell Tax Fraud Scandal: International Cyber Criminal Extricated To U.S. In Massive $8M Tax Fraud Scheme
In a jaw-dropping international cybercrime saga, a Nigerian national accused of orchestrating a massive tax fraud scheme has been extradited to the United States after allegedly stealing taxpayer identities and attempting to siphon millions from the IRS.
Matthew A. Akande, 36, was dramatically arrested at Heathrow Airport in the UK in October 2024 and extradited to the U.S. on March 5, 2025. Today, he faced a federal judge in Boston, accused of masterminding an intricate web of cyber fraud, identity theft, and money laundering that targeted Massachusetts tax preparation firms and unsuspecting taxpayers.
According to the indictment, Akande and his alleged accomplice, Kehinde H. Oyetunji, 33, of North Dakota, spent five years orchestrating an elaborate phishing and hacking operation, stealing personal data to file over 1,000 fraudulent tax returns seeking a staggering $8.1 million in refunds. Authorities say they successfully pocketed more than $1.3 million before their scheme began to unravel.
SOPHISTICATED PHISHING ATTACKS & MALICIOUS SOFTWARE INFILTRATION
Federal prosecutors allege that Akande deployed phishing emails to trick five Massachusetts tax preparation firms into installing Warzone RAT malware, a highly sophisticated remote-access trojan. This allowed the criminals to infiltrate systems, steal sensitive client data, and submit fraudulent tax returns in their victims’ names. The stolen money was funneled through U.S. bank accounts before being transferred to third parties in Mexico, allegedly under Akande’s direction.
Meanwhile, Oyetunji—who pleaded guilty in December 2022—allegedly managed fraudulent accounts and withdrew stolen funds in cash, keeping a portion for himself while wiring the rest to Mexico. His sentencing date remains pending.
Feds Strike Back; International Cyber Criminal Wins One-Way Ticket to the US
With the IRS and FBI hot on his trail, Akande’s criminal empire began to collapse. Authorities in the United Kingdom, working closely with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, apprehended him last year, leading to his highly publicized extradition.
Akande now faces a laundry list of federal charges, including conspiracy, wire fraud, unauthorized computer access, theft of government money, and aggravated identity theft—crimes that could land him behind bars for decades if convicted.
As the case unfolds, the spotlight remains on Akande, whose alleged cybercrime spree shook the tax system to its core. Will justice be served? Stay tuned as Naked Fraud follows this explosive case through the courts!
Nothing like a good old-fashioned plundering of taxpayer dollars to really spice up the news cycle. You’d think the U.S. Treasury, of all places, would have Fort Knox-level security, but apparently, it’s more leaky faucet than vault door.
Whoever pulled this off must’ve had a field day watching bureaucrats scramble to figure out what happened. “Wait, where did the money go?” Oh, I don’t know—maybe check the offshore accounts, crypto mixers, and luxury car dealerships? Meanwhile, the hackers are out there living it up while the government investigates at the speed of dial-up internet.
At this point, the biggest surprise isn’t that someone pulled this off, it’s that they weren’t inside the system to begin with. But hey, at least they had the decency to steal efficiently—something Congress hasn’t quite figured out yet
Always the Nigerian’s wonder if it was a Prince that was behind it.
Ah, the latest episode in the ever-expanding anthology of “How to Rob a Government Using Ones and Zeros.” According to the Naked Fraud article, the stolen money was funneled through U.S. bank accounts before being transferred to third parties in Mexico, allegedly under Akande’s direction.
It’s comforting to know that in the digital age, the U.S. Treasury can be treated like an open buffet for cybercriminals. Perhaps the next step is to install a “Take a Billion, Leave a Billion” tray at the Federal Reserve.
This incident underscores the pressing need for enhanced cybersecurity measures and regulatory oversight to protect national financial infrastructures from such sophisticated threats. Until then, we can only hope that our digital vaults are more secure than a piggy bank at a kleptomaniacs’ convention
The “Daring Scheme To Loot the U.S. Treasury” sounds like a plot straight out of a Hollywood thriller! It’s both fascinating and unsettling to see how some individuals attempt to exploit the financial system on such a grand scale.
This reminds me of the case involving Anurag Murarka, who operated a $24 million dark web crypto laundering network. The FBI’s approach to dismantling his operation was notably strategic—they allowed it to continue under surveillance for over a year to gather intelligence on various illicit activities connected to it. This method provided invaluable insights into the complexities of modern financial crimes.
Well, look at that—someone thought they’d pull off a vault heist on Uncle Sam and ended up… in an international tax-fraud reality show. Let’s recap the “masterstroke” from Adrian Monk’s March 5 exposé, Daring Scheme to Loot the U.S. Treasury. Plot twist of the century: Not your run-of-the-mill bank robbery, this caper involved a Nigerian national allegedly cooking up an $8 million tax fraud scam—and somehow believed they’d sail right into a treasure chest labeled “U.S. Treasury.” Extradited like a seasoned criminal: Yup, they were scooped up and flown to the U.S. like a contestant on a crime reality show, all part of a “jaw-dropping international cybercrime saga.”Criminal mastermind or wannabe Monty Python recruit? Forged filings, fake identities, and dozens of moving parts—who knew tax fraud could look so much like a low-rent heist movie? Bottom line: This wasn’t Ocean’s Eleven—it was Ocean’s One (overzealous), aiming for “loot” that didn’t exist. No secret vault codes. No stunning physical break-in. Just a spreadsheet full of lies and allegedly a Nigerian fraudster thinking they were above the law. So, should we call it “daring”? Sure — if you consider dialing in bad Excel formulas “daring.” Meanwhile, the FBI and DOJ watched the show, brought the popcorn, and put the star behind bars.
a Nigerian hacker managed to pull off a tax‑fraud hustle so bold it reads like a Hollywood script—over 1,000 bogus returns, aiming to swipe a cool $8 million, and already pocketed $1.3 million before the IRS finally said, “Aah, what’s up with all these refunds?”
So we’ve got phishing emails, Warzone RAT malware, crooks siphoning money through US banks and into Mexico—meanwhile, American tax pros probably didn’t even notice until the refund checks hit their mail. It’s like watching someone rob a bank in broad daylight while the security guard orders coffee.
Now Mr. Akande’s been snatched at Heathrow, extradited to Boston, and is staring down charges that could send him to orange‑jumpsuit country for decades—conspiracy, wire fraud, identity theft, theft of federal funds, you name it.
So yeah, cheers to our tax system: robust enough to process 1,000 criminal returns, but apparently not tough enough to catch a multi‑million‑dollar hole until after the heist. Pass me the popcorn—we’ll see if this caper ends with cuffs or comebacks. 🍿