Japanese police to launch probe into phone scam in Thailand

BANGKOK  -- Japanese police will launch an investigation into a major phone scam from Thailand in which hundreds of people across Japan are believed to have been swindled out of more than 200 million yen ($1.8 million) this year, investigative sources said Wednesday.

Following the arrest late last month of 15 suspected Japanese scammers by Thai police, Japan has decided to dispatch investigators to Thailand next week to better grasp the fraud's whole picture, the sources said.

The men, between in their 20s and 50s, are suspected of targeting people in Japan, particularly those retired and living alone, from a rented luxury house in the seaside resort town of Pattaya.

One of the potential victims revealed Wednesday by Thai investigative authorities was a woman in her 50s, who lives in Fukui Prefecture in central Japan.

She purchased electronic money on March 29 in line with the scamming group's instruction and seems to have been swindled out of several hundred thousand yen, according to the police.

Japanese police plan to arrest the 15 suspects after they are expelled from Thailand. They may also build a case against the group over a separate alleged fraud on March 29.

Other than the 15, Thai police suspect three to four more Japanese and Thais may have been involved in the scam.

Source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190411/p2g/00m/0na/006000c