LONDON (Kyodo) Three people have been jailed for carrying out a scam on more than 100 Japanese tourists in central London, the Reuters news agency reported Tuesday.
The group targeted sightseers at such places as the British Museum and the Oxford Street shopping area, with one of the three, a woman, posing as a tourist and asking the victims for directions or to take a photo for her, Reuters said.
The other two, pretending to be police officers, would then approach, demand details of the travelers' identity and take their credit cards, which were later used to withdraw cash or make expensive purchases, the report said.
The three were jailed for periods ranging from 15 months to two years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal, it said.