Nigerian man in UK indicted for $235,000 cyber fraud targeting US university

Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, a Nigerian national residing in the United Kingdom, has been arrested by British authorities following a U.S. extradition request over allegations of wire fraud and computer fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti has confirmed.

Adepoju was taken into custody on September 15, 2025, and now awaits extradition to the Western District of Pennsylvania to face a seven-count indictment.

Court documents allege that between March and April 2023, Adepoju hacked into the systems of a Western Pennsylvania construction firm contracted by a university. He allegedly manipulated email rules, created a spoofed account, and deceived the university into transferring $235,266.80 to a fraudulent bank account. The stolen funds remain unrecovered.

“Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber techniques to gain unauthorized access to business accounts and defraud one of our region’s universities,” Rivetti said in a statement. “Even from across the world, he was not beyond the FBI’s reach.”

FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek echoed the warning: “Cybercriminals who think they can steal from the American public from thousands of miles away should know the FBI and our partners will track them down.”

Adepoju faces six counts of wire fraud, each carrying a potential 20-year sentence, and one count of computer fraud with a maximum five-year penalty.