TOKYO (TR) – A male Chinese national has been arrested for allegedly posing as a government agent and telling a man to hand over cash due to risk of fraud, reports Nippon News Network (May 28).
Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested Gu Shiyue, 28, for allegedly soliciting 2 million yen in cash from the 66-year-old man, a resident of Akishima City, by pretending to be an agent of the Financial Services Agency (FSA) over the telephone.
In carrying out the ruse, the suspect told the victim that his bank account is at risk of fraud. “You should withdraw your savings and hand it over to an agent of the FSA,” he told the victim.
The victim realized the call was a scam and pretended to go along with the demands before reporting the incident to police.
Officers apprehended the suspect after he showed up at a location where the victim was to hand over cash, police said.
Shiyue, who has been charged with attempted fraud, denies the charges. “I only showed up to pick up [the money] because a friend asked me to,” the suspect was quoted by police.
Police suspect that Shiyue is a member of a fraud group that uses similar tactics in swindling victims.