Nigerian Fraudster Conned Students Out Of £1.5m Online

 A NIGERIAN national who helped
defraud hundreds of UK students
online has been ordered to pay back
almost £630,000 after admitting she
made £1.2million from her crimes.
On Monday (Sept 14), the Old Bailey
heard how Ruth Smith-Ajala, 46, from
Lambeth was jailed in December 2013
for her part in conning students out of
more than £1.5m.
Students were sent emails inviting
them to update details on their
student loan account via a link to a
bogus website.
When the site was accessed by the
unsuspecting victims, a cyber crime
gang gained unauthorised access to
their bank accounts, stealing large
amounts of money.
Smith-Ajala used her share of the
cash to buy products in the UK, which
she then shipped out for sale at a
wholesaler in Lagos, Nigeria, that she
owns.
During her trial, Smith-Ajala tried to
convince the court that she was
running a legitimate business but she
was ultimately found guilty of
conspiracy to launder money and
mortgage fraud.
The mortgage fraud related to seven
houses that Smith-Ajala was renting
out in Gravesend, Northfleet and
Chatam, in Kent; Grays, in Essex; and
Catford, in London.
In conjunction with the investigation,
specialist detectives from the Met’s
Central Criminal Finance Team (CFT)
launched a financial investigation.
They and the Crown Prosecution
Service obtained a restraint order for
the properties and Smith-Ajala’s banks
accounts were frozen, prohibiting her
from selling the houses and hiding the
money.
As a result of the confiscation
proceedings, Smith-Ajala will now have
to sell the houses, using the profits
and rent money to pay the
confiscation sum.
Detective inspector Pete Ward, of the
CFT, said: "We won’t stop at seeing
criminals convicted for their crimes -
we will also make them pay back the
money they have taken from their
victims.
"It is ironic that Smith-Ajala helped
defraud hundreds of students while
paying for one of her own children to
be privately educated.
The 46-year-old has just three months
to pay back the money she obtained, or
face a further five years in prison. If
she doesn’t pay the money by the time
she is out of prison, the order will
remain and her finances will be
scrutinized to ensure she continues to
pay up.