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Osaka cops: Fraud ring posed as digital content firm

Rei Yamakawa
Rei Yamakawa

OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have raided the headquarters of a fraud ring whose members scammed victims by posing as representatives of a digital content firm, reports TV Asahi (Dec. 21).

On December 20, police searched the premises, located in the America-mura district of Chuo Ward, and arrested Rei Yamakawa, 36, and one other man for falsely posing as a representative from a digital content delivery firm in swindling a woman, 60, from Yamaguchi Prefecture.

The suspects allegedly contacted the woman by email about “late charges for use of an adult site” before telling her over the phone that she would “wind up on a black list if 190,000 yen was not paid.” The woman subsequently purchased an electronic money gift card valued at 30,000 yen that was obtained by the suspects.

Police believe the suspects used similar means to swindle other persons in at least 50 cases in which the damage totaled 22 million yen.