How Nigerian man used fake emails to siphon $235,000 from US university — Officials

An official of the United States (US) Department of Justice has explained how a Nigerian man, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, living in the United Kingdom (UK), used fake emails to siphon $235,000 (N363 million) from a US university.

According to US prosecutors, Adepoju hacked into the email system of a Pennsylvania construction company contracted by a university, then created fake accounts to impersonate staff and divert payments.

The US Department of Justice said Adepoju was arrested on September 15, 2025, and is awaiting extradition to face a seven-count indictment in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Court documents alleged that between March and April 2023, Adepoju remotely accessed the company’s computer system, altered email rules, and set up a spoofed domain. He then used the fake emails to send fraudulent payment instructions to the university.

Believing the emails to be genuine, the university updated the construction firm’s payment details to an account controlled by Adepoju, leading to a transfer of about $235,266 (N363 million).

According to the Acting US attorney, Troy Rivetti, the funds have not been recovered.

Rivetti said, “Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber means to illegally access accounts belonging to a business in order to victimise one of our region’s universities.

“Even from halfway across the world, however, Adepoju was not beyond the investigative reach of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His arrest in the United Kingdom underscores our district’s unwavering commitment to aggressively locate and prosecute cybercriminals worldwide with the assistance of our law enforcement partners, both here and abroad.”

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FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge, Kevin Rojek, added that regardless of where the crime is committed, the US govt won’t allow such fraud against the American public.

“Criminals who think they can reach across the globe into the United States to line their pockets at the expense of the American public need know one thing: the FBI and our partners are not going to let you get away with it.

“We will find you and bring you to justice, no matter where you might be. Email compromise schemes are not victimless crimes; they are one of the costliest threats large and small businesses, universities, and organisations face today,” Rojek said.

Adepoju faces six counts of wire fraud and one count of computer fraud. Each wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, while the computer fraud charge carries up to five years.

The FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office led the investigation, while Assistant US Attorney Mark V. Gurzo is prosecuting the case with support from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.

Authorities stressed that an indictment is only an accusation, and Adepoju is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE