FUKUOKA (TR) – Fukuoka Prefectural Police have arrested a 68-year-old man on suspicion of involvement in fraud ring based in Cambodia, reports Nippon News Network (Dec. 9).
In January, Junichi Tomita, a contract employee from Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture is suspected of defrauding a female office worker of 700,000 yen by posing as a police officer on the telephone from the base in Cambodia.
The ring operated what is referred to as tokushu sagi, meaning specialized fraud. Perpetrators of this crime target a victim over the telephone and impersonate an authority figure or relative to defraud money from them.
During questioning, Tomita admitted to the charges. He said, “I made false phone calls together with other members of a specialized fraud group and defrauded people out of cash.”
According to police, Tomita was a so-called “caller” in the ring. He was approached through an acquaintance. “There is specialized fraud work in Cambodia, but it’s a state-sponsored scheme, so you won’t be arrested,” the acquaintance said. “You can easily earn 30 million yen.”
Tomita then stayed in Cambodia from December last year to March. He earned just over 1 million yen as a caller.
Regarding his compensation, he said, “I was initially handed $100 in cash for living expenses, and then I received $300 from a Chinese person as a reward for perfect attendance.”
Police are currently investigating the person who introduced him to the job and the base in Cambodia to clarify the details.
