TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested the 42-year-old president of a construction company and an accomplice for allegedly attempting to defraud an elderly woman by posing as water heater inspectors, reports TBS News (Aug. 9).
In March of this year, Hiromasa Suzuki and one other man visited the home of a woman in her 80s. Impersonating maintenance workers from a major water heater manufacturer, the pair allegedly tried to trick the woman into paying for unnecessary replacement work.
According to police, the suspects attempted to scare the elderly resident into handing over approximately 180,000 yen in cash by falsely claiming, “There is an error,” and “If you don’t replace it, it will catch fire.”
Upon their arrest, both Suzuki and his accomplice denied the allegations.
However, the Metropolitan Police Department believes this is not an isolated incident. Investigators are currently looking into additional crimes, following multiple reports from other residents who were targeted using the exact same modus operandi.
