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Couple suspected in nationwide ‘dirty bag’ scam finally arrested

HIROSHIMA (TR) – Believed to be the infamous “fraud couple,” a 49-year-old man and his female companion are finally in custody.

At around 1:30 p.m. on June 20, Hiroyuki Nemoto and Yukiho Nakamura, 37, entered a yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant in Hiroshima City’s Chuo Ward, reports Television Shin-Hiroshima System.

They then falsely claimed to a female employee that a bag in their possession had “become dirty from a chair” inside the restaurant.

They are also alleged to have requested an unspecified amount to cover cleaning of the item, police said.

Hiroyuki Nemoto, left (Twitter)

“Please show good faith”

Upon their arrests on suspicion of attempted fraud, both suspects admitted to the allegations. “We did this for five years,” one of the suspects told Hiroshima Prefectural Police.

According to police, the pair had been pulling the same scam in the area since March. Police upped patrols after learning that Nemoto and Nakamura visited another restaurant in Hiroshima City the day before.

They told proprietors that the bag “is a one-of-a-kind, specially made for our wedding anniversary.” In requesting payment, they said, “Please show good faith.”

Across the nation

The couple is believed to have carried out the ruse across the the nation. Earlier this year, Fuji News Network reported that the first sign of the fraud can be traced back to 2014 in Ise City, Mie Prefecture.

Two years later, it emerged again in Hyogo Prefecture’s Kobe and Nishinomiya cities. In 2017, the couple visited Kyoto City. The following year, the pair hit establishments in Nara and Wakayama prefectures. Earlier this year, they were in Fukuoka and Yamaguchi prefectures.