Damage in Japan from Cambodia-Based Fraud Totals at Least 1.4 B. Yen

   Nagoya, Aug. 21 (Jiji Press)--The amount of damage from fraud cases allegedly committed by a Cambodia-based group including Japanese nationals is believed to have totaled at least some 1.4 billion yen since February, people familiar with the investigation by Japanese police said Thursday.
   On Wednesday, Aichi prefectural police arrested 29 extradited Japanese individuals, aged 19 to 52, for their alleged involvement in phone scams conducted from Poipet, a town in northwestern Cambodia.
   They are suspected of calling a 64-year-old man, who was in Yamanashi Prefecture, near Tokyo, on May 27, attempting to defraud him by posing as police officers and others and claiming money was needed for a money-laundering investigation.
   One or more suspects left Japan over a year ago after being recruited to make money, according to the prefectural police. At their Cambodian base, the suspects used false names and worked in groups under the oversight of Chinese nationals.
   The prefectural police are investigating the possibility of additional damage, as the base was active as recently as late last year.

(2025/08/21-19:01)