SAITAMA — Police in Japan’s Saitama prefecture have sent prosecutors additional documents on 29 suspects who allegedly defrauded dozens of elderly Japanese people out of about 1 billion yen (approximately $6.5 million), accusing them of defrauding suspects. from the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. Officials announced on November 5.

The men, aged between 20 and 40, are suspected of making fraudulent phone calls to people across Japan. The victims in the 110 cases were elderly women living in 29 prefectures, including Fukuoka, Hokkaido and Hyogo.

The suspects are specifically accused of telephoning 96 people, including an 83-year-old woman who lived in the city of Wakayama, between March and September 2023. While in Cambodia, the alleged perpetrators posed as workers at a nursing home. of old people and told things to the victims. such as, “You have transferred the right to preferential nursing home placement to another person” and “Lending your name in such a way is a crime.” They are believed to have stolen 763.1 million yen (about $4.96 million) in cash and the equivalent of another 8.2 million yen (about $53,350) in electronic money.

After Japanese authorities shared information with their Cambodian counterparts, the apartments used by the suspects were located in September 2023. In addition to arresting 25 men, more than 100 mobile phones, notes apparently used when making phone calls, and a directory that contained personal information Elderly victims’ information was confiscated.

Saitama Prefectural Police extradited and arrested the 25 men on suspicion of fraud and other crimes. Between January and April of this year, four who had already returned to Japan were also detained.

An investigation into the background to the incidents is underway. Based on a detailed inspection of the confiscated personal computers, it is believed that the suspects could have been involved in fraud cases worth more than 3 billion yen (approximately $19.5 million) in total.

(Japanese original by Kotaro Adachi, Saitama Bureau)