CAMBODIA (TR) – Five Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in a fraud ring were detained in the capital Phnom Penh on Monday, authorities said, reports Nippon News Network (Apr. 7).
The five are believed to be in a ring that conducts tokushu sagi, or specialized fraud. Tokushu sagi is carried out on the telephone by a caller impersonating an authority figure or a relative.
Monday, local authorities searched a room believed to be the ring’s headquarters and detained eight people in total: five Japanese nationals, two Chinese nationals and one man from Taiwan.
The Japanese nationals are believed to have been involved in impersonating police officers.
In addition to smartphones and computers, numerous items such as what appeared to be Japanese police uniforms, fake police identification cards and fake arrest warrants were seized from the room.
The room also contained police posters, lockers, and a whiteboard, suggesting they were recreating a part of a Japanese police station to deceive victims via video calls.
International fraud organizations are scattered throughout Cambodia, but the Cambodian government is strengthening its crackdown with the aim of eradicating them as quickly as possible.
