TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested eight individuals, including the head of a gas equipment company, for allegedly preying on the elderly in a massive water heater replacement scam that raked in an estimated 2.2 billion yen, report TV Asahi (Oct. 9).
Hideki Nukanobu, the 36-year-old de facto operator of the company, and seven accomplices are accused of defrauding vulnerable residents by coercing them into signing contracts for entirely unnecessary gas water heater and stove replacements.
According to Tokyo police, the ring targeted the elderly with aggressive and deceptive sales tactics. The average age of the victims was 81, with the oldest being a 103-year-old in Kanagawa Prefecture. Several victims suffered from dementia or visual impairments.
Since 2023, the group is believed to have secured roughly 7,600 fraudulent contracts.
“You should sign a contract now”
Investigators say the group’s modus operandi involved visiting homes and using fake carbon monoxide detectors to trigger an alarm. Posing as legitimate technicians in official-looking work uniforms, the suspects would tell panicked residents, “Carbon monoxide is leaking past the standard limit.”
They would then use high-pressure tactics to close the deal, telling victims, “You should sign a contract now; the price will go up next month.” In the specific case leading to their arrest, the suspects are accused of swindling approximately 1 million yen in construction costs.
Despite their predatory intentions, the suspects used extreme politeness to gain their victims’ trust.
One 80-year-old man, who narrowly escaped being scammed last year, told reporters how he was targeted. He received a call from someone claiming to be from “Tokyo Gas” offering a free inspection.
When a “technician” arrived at his home, he inspected the water heater and gas stove. The worker falsely claimed the stove’s red flame meant it was past its lifespan and warned that leaving it alone would cause a fire. Terrified of a potential blaze, the man immediately signed a contract.
Neighborhood association
The victim was only saved at the last minute after calling his daughter, who told him to put the purchase on hold. When the man called the company to cancel, a representative aggressively pushed back, stating, “We have already prepared the materials, so it cannot be put on hold.”
The man ultimately avoided losing his money by consulting his neighborhood association, which helped him take the matter to the police.
“To an old person with no knowledge of these things, their way of speaking is incredibly gentle,” the 80-year-old man said. “People like me who are over 80 and don’t have friends or information networks need a system from the city or neighborhood associations to follow up on these things.”
Authorities are urging the public to be highly suspicious of unsolicited gas inspections and to call the consumer hotline at “188” if they feel pressured or unsafe.
