Tag - fraud

 
 

FRAUD

Nihon University headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2024
Official at Nihon University's weightlifting club defrauding members
The official pocketed money for nonexistent fees for 10 years, using most of it for private purposes.
The National Police Agency's National Cyber Unit has arrested a man who is believed to be the mastermind behind a group involved in fraudulent transfers exceeding ¥120 million.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 10, 2024
Japan's National Cyber Unit makes first arrest
The suspect, Yohei Yano, is believed to be the mastermind behind a group involved in fraudulent transfers exceeding ¥120 million.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara holds a news conference at the Ministry of Defense last month.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2024
MSDF divers suspected of fraudulently receiving allowances, sources say
They have been making false claims for the diving allowances for many years, and the total amount they have fraudulently received may reach tens of millions of yen.
The Consumer Affairs Agency is advising people to ignore unfamiliar payment requests over the phone, even if a major company is named.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 9, 2024
Beware of overseas number phone scams, Japan’s consumer watchdog warns
Scammers claiming to be telecommunications company NTT demanding “unpaid fees” have duped victims into making substantial payments amounting to millions of yen.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda (back center) watches as workers prepare to ship the first bundles of newly designed ¥10,000 bills at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 3, 2024
Tokyo police warn of fraud linked to new banknotes
Since March, four individuals in their 80s and 90s have been swindled out of a combined total of approximately ¥15 million, according to police reports.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura, speaking in the city of Osaka on Thursday, explains his plan to propose measures to protect people from fraud.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 28, 2024
Osaka governor eyes ban on mobile phone calls at ATMs
The proposal is part of an effort to protect elderly people from fraud.
Lower House lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto (second from right) leaves the Tokyo Detention House in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 21, 2024
Japanese Lawmaker Akimoto released on bail amid bribery charges
The lawmaker was arrested on September 7 last year.
A fake online ad that solicits investments using the name and picture of economic analyst Takuro Morinaga without permission. Morinaga said he is not involved in the ad in any way and does not have social media accounts.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 19, 2024
Fake celebrity ad victims in Japan increase tenfold
Victims lost an average of ¥6.87 million, with the largest single loss hitting ¥170 million.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a government meeting on crime prevention at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2024
Japan's government demands stricter screenings of social media ads
Specifically, social media operators are being asked to draw up and disclose ad-screening criteria.
The number of consultations made by consumers regarding troubles on social media marked a record high in 2023, with people in their 50s or older particularly vulnerable.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2024
Japan sees social media linked consultations hit record in 2023
In 2023, there were 910,000 consultations, and consumer damage from problematic transactions amounted to a record ¥8.8 trillion.
Former lawmaker Tomohiro Konno has been arrested for allegedly lending his name as a lawyer to other people to do legal work in violation of the attorney law.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 13, 2024
Ex-Japan Lower House member Konno arrested over name-lending
Konno allegedly lent his name to have other people do legal work to recover special fraud damage for five victims, with virtually no cases of damage recovery.
The Fukuoka Prefectural Police building in the city of Fukuoka
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 12, 2024
Fukuoka police arrest man in connection with 'Luffy' crime ring
The suspect, Takayuki Kagoshima, 55, had been detained by Philippine immigration authorities since March.
Kazuki Suzuki, one of the suspects, was taken into police custody in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2024
'Side job' fraud believed to have taken ¥1.9 billion from 8,600 victims
The fraud group ran multiple "side job" websites while recruiting members through social media and paying them an average of about ¥500,000 as monthly wages.
Yuichi Nishimura is taken into police custody in Tokyo on Wednesday on suspicion of attempted fraud.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 6, 2024
Hokkaido man arrested for defrauding ‘fiancee’ with fake kidnapping scheme
The suspect, Yuichi Nishimura, allegedly enticed the victim with promises of marriage while concealing the fact that he was already married.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which polices deceptive advertising practices, saw a jump in complaints over the past year about ads that either used AI or claimed to use it to lure people into scams.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2024
AI scam complaints are just the tip of the iceberg
The U.S. FTC, which polices deceptive advertising practices, saw a jump in complaints over the past year about ads using AI to lure people into scams.
Official data indicates at least 17,000 South Korean residents have been hit by real estate fraud in recent years, and around 70% of victims are in their 20s and 30s.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2024
Debt, suicide, fraud: South Koreans hit by real estate scams
Authorities draw flak for not doing enough to help victims or punish fraudsters who capitalize on the country's unique jeonse system in which tenants pay huge deposits.
The Takarazuka Grand Theater in the city of Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture. A former top star of the Takarazuka Revue has been arrested for fraud.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 23, 2024
Former Takarazuka star arrested over alleged ¥10 million fraud
Police allege that Terumi Ogura convinced an acquaintance to invest the money by deceiving her that she was planning to produce a movie.
Entrepreneurs Yusaku Maezawa (second from right) and Takafumi Horie (third from right) attend a study session on fake social media ads and investment scams at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on April 10.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 16, 2024
Japanese billionaire sues Meta over investment scams using his image
Yusaku Maezawa is suing Meta for its negligence in regulating the use of his name and image in investment scams on its social media platforms.
A former employee of Bandai Namco Entertainment was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly embezzling ¥54 million by selling company-owned mobile phones and other items meant for game development.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 15, 2024
Ex-employee of Bandai Namco unit arrested over ¥54 million embezzlement
The man, 59, allegedly sold about 500 company-owned smartphones and other items without permission to a Tokyo-based secondhand store.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, leaves federal court in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 15, 2024
Ohtani interpreter appears in court over $17 million fraud
A lawyer for Ippei Mizuhara said the 39-year-old has reached a deal with prosecutors over his charges.

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'