TOKYO (TR) — Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 27-year-old man for allegedly attempting to defraud an elderly woman by falsely claiming her electrical breaker box was a fire hazard that needed immediate replacement, reports Nippon News Network (May 8).
Tomoaki Suzuki is accused of targeting a woman in her 80s at her residence in Ota Ward last year. According to police, Suzuki attempted to charge the woman approximately 200,000 yen for entirely unnecessary electrical work.
“This distribution board is old, and if you don’t replace it right now, it will start a fire,” Suzuki allegedly warned the victim.
Upon his arrest, Suzuki denied the allegations, telling investigators, “I never said it would cause a fire.”
Investigators revealed that Suzuki gained the woman’s trust by calling her home beforehand and falsely claiming to represent a major corporation.
However, the scam fell apart when a suspicious relative intervened and requested to cancel the contract before any work or payment could take place. The family subsequently reported the incident to the police.
