TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police are cracking down on scams whereby bar employees lure victims met through dating apps to their establishment under the guise of dating only to charge them exorbitant fees.
In the latest case, police arrested Mia Nakazawa, 22, Mao Motohashi, 20, and Aino Sunaoshi, 26, and a 19-year-old boy for illegally entertaining three men, aged in their 20s, at a bar in the Kabukicho on red-light district on November 23.
Nakazawa and Motohashi admit to the allegations. But the other two suspects have declined to comment, police said, according to NHK (Nov. 25).
Police say that that the business did not having a license to operate under the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.
As a part of the investigation, police seized dice, playing cards and mobile telephones from the establishment.
After the victims visited the bar, they were then presented with a bill that was over 382,000 yen.
“I recommend the all-you-can-drink plan”
Nakazawa and the others are believed to have lured the trio they met on the dating app to the restaurant, hiding the fact that they were employees or utilizing someone else altogether to pose as a single woman.
“I want to go to a restaurant that I couldn’t get into when I went there with my friends before,” one person falsely claimed on the app.
Once there, the victims were told, “It’s expensive to order a single item, so I recommend the all-you-can-drink plan for 5,000 yen. Wine and shots are charged separately.”
After that, bar staff suggested games using cards and dice. It is believed that they ordered a large number of shots as penalties in the games, which resulted in the high bill.
Some suspects have reportedly stated during questioning that they received 20 percent of the amount paid by the victims. Police believe that several other people were involved, and that the bar’s location was changed every few months to avoid detection.
One male customer who was lured into a bar said, “I knew there were fake profiles on dating apps, but when you actually experience it, it’s hard to see through them.”
On the rise
This year, there have been around 190 confirmed cases of people in Kabukicho being lured into restaurants using this method and then being charged exorbitant fees.
According to Shinjuku Police Station, which has jurisdiction over Kabukicho, over 90 percent of those seeking advice regarding rip-offs using matching apps are men in their 20s and 30s. The average amount lost per case this year is 720,000 yen, which is more than in the past.
In 2021, there were about 20 cases totaling with the amount lost about 5.5 million yen. The following year, the number of cases rose to 120 cases while the total lost was about 50 million yen. Last year, the figure tripled to 360 cases, with losses amounting to 210 million yen.
Made to buy precious metals with their credit cards
Attorney Katsuyuki Aoshima, who provides consultations on rip-offs in Kabukicho, said it is important to understand how such methods work. “If you know the methods, you will be able to recognize the situation you find yourself in,” the lawyer said. “There is no problem with not paying on the spot if you are billed something you don’t agree with.”
According to Aoshima, most of the consultations about rip-offs he receives involve matchmaking apps. There have been cases where people have been forced to withdraw their maximum amount from an ATM to pay. They are then made to buy precious metals with their credit cards, told to go to a consumer finance company, had their smartphones taken away or were watched all night.
Aoshima pointed out that one countermeasure would be to decide on a bar to meet up with the other person in advance. “In the case of a rip-off, you will not be able to reach a compromise through discussion with the bar, so don’t just give in to what they say, but think about how you can continue not to pay,” he said. “Call the police, or, if you are young, call your family. Or create a situation where a third party can intervene, and get through the day without paying.”
