YAMANASHI (TR) – An elderly woman in Kai City was defrauded out of 15 million yen earlier this month in a scam carried out by fraudsters who mentioned the novel coronavirus pandemic, police said, reports TV Asahi (June 12).
At around 9 a.m. on June 8, a member of the ring telephoned the woman, aged in her 70s, and posed as her eldest son.
“At a hospital, I underwent a polymerase chain reaction test for the novel coronavirus. The result was negative, but I lost my bag containing a company check at the hospital.”
He went on to say that he needed that check to make a payment. “If I don’t pay, I’ll be sacked,” he added. “I need 8 million yen.”
The woman later handed over 8 million yen in cash to a person claiming to be the younger brother of her son’s boss upon his arrival at her residence.
The next day, the woman received another call from a person claiming to be her eldest son. This time, he said he needed an additional 7 million yen. “It was an advance paid by my boss,” the caller said. “As well, I, in fact, tested positive for the coronavirus. I need help.”
She later handed over an additional 7 million yen to the same man who visited her residence previously.
The matter emerged after the woman contact the family of her son. Once it was understood that she had been defrauded, they contacted the Nirasaki Police Station.
