CAMBODIA (TR) – The Japanese embassy here on Tuesday announced that that 15 Japanese nationals who are suspected members of a fraud ring have been detained by local authorities in the capital of Phnom Penh, reports NHK (Feb. 24).
According to the Embassy of Japan in Cambodia, the embassy received a call from local authorities on February 20 informing them that 15 Japanese nationals are suspected of being involved in a ring that specializes in tokushu sagi, or specialized fraud.
This type of fraud is carried out on the telephone by a caller impersonating an authority figure or a relative.
Embassy staff subsequently met with all 15 individuals and confirmed their Japanese nationality.
Further details have not been released. The Japanese Embassy has stated that it will “respond appropriately in cooperation with local authorities.”
Cambodia has seen a series of crackdowns on specialized fraud-related groups in recent years, with 16 Japanese nationals being detained at a facility in Sihanoukville in December last year.
As previously reported, the Cambodian government is stepping up its crackdown on the practice, with the goal of eradicating specialized fraud by April of this year.
