SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police arrested three persons during a raid of the headquarters of a fraud ring in Kawaguchi City on Wednesday, reports NHK (July 6).
About 20 officers entered a residence via an emergency staircase and arrested Hiroki Fukushima, 25, and two other persons on suspicion of attempted fraud.
The suspects are alleged to have attempted to fraudulently obtain bank cards from an 84-year-old woman living in Tokyo’s Kita Ward. In carrying out the scam, a person posed as a police officer on the telephone and falsely told the woman that there was a problem with her bank account that required the issuing of a new card.
None of the suspects has commented on the allegations.
During the search, police seized a list of 1,600 names, likely targets for similar crimes.
According to police, the suspects are believed to be subordinate members of the ring, tasked with retrieving cash and cards from victims tricked on the telephone.
