Police investigations have gradually revealed the workings of a Japanese fraud group operating out of Cambodia and Vietnam, with 46-year-old Tetsuya Yamaguchi — a former member of the quasi-gang group Kanto Rengo — believed to be its leader.
Police suspect that Yamaguchi, who was arrested on April 8 after being deported from Thailand, was involved in fraud totaling at least ¥3 billion ($21.1 million). So far, investigators have arrested about 50 individuals in their 20s through 40s for making calls as part of the scam, with overseas authorities helping to deport them back to Japan.
“It was a joint effort between the National Police Agency, Japanese embassies overseas and police investigators in other countries,” a senior investigator said.
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