TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police last week arrested a 33-year-old man who fled Japan after participating in a fraud ring whose members fleeced victims by posing as government employees.
On Friday, police arrested Koji Suzuki, 33, upon his arrival at Haneda Airport on suspicion of computer fraud and theft, reports the Tokyo Shimbun (Jan. 11).
According to police, Suzuki served as a so-called “caller” in the ring. He is suspected of making phone calls to a 68-year-old woman in 2022 while posing as a city hall employee.
During the conversations, he falsely told her that she would be able to receive a refund on her nursing care insurance premiums. He then had her transfer approximately 500,000 yen in cash to the fraud group’s bank account and withdrew the funds with an ATM.
“I want to consult with a lawyer,” Suzuki was quoted upon his arrest.
The Organized Crime Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police has confirmed a total of approximately 120 cases of crime involving the group in 30 prefectures between March and June 2022. The total amount lost is estimated to be approximately 100 million yen.
The ring’s headquarters, an apartment in Setagaya Ward, was found by police in June 2022. Presided over by a senior member of the Yamaguchi-gumi criminal syndicate, members made phone calls based on a list of elderly people.
So far, police have arrested a total of 10 people. Nine of them have been indicted. Suzuki fled for Thailand after the police crackdown began.
