A Leader of a Japanese Telecom Fraud Group Arrested on Flight to Japan
A leader of a Japanese telecom fraud group was arrested on a flight to Japan. The suspect, Tetsuya Yamaguchi, a member of the Kanto United Federation of Yakuza, denied all charges at the time of his arrest, claiming to the media that he had nothing to do with the allegations and that he had merely operated a Japanese restaurant in Cambodia. Thailand and Myanmar have made it a primary goal this year to eliminate fraud groups, actively cooperating with various countries to arrest foreign individuals who specialize in defrauding their own nationals. This transnational cooperation is the result of collaboration between Thai and Japanese police.
Tetsuya Yamaguchi had previously impersonated a health insurance employee to defraud a woman in her seventies in Osaka over the phone in 2022, managing to swindle 300,000 yen before being arrested by the police. According to intelligence from the Thai police, Yamaguchi is highly likely to be the leader of the Japanese telecom fraud group. His group reportedly kidnapped Japanese compatriots to assist him in conducting telecom fraud in a scam center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and laundered the illicit profits by selling art online.
The arrest was made by senior Thai officer Tatchai, who stated that he flew to Japan to cooperate with the Japanese police to strengthen communication and information exchange with Japanese authorities, aiming to comprehensively eliminate rampant fraud groups in Southeast Asia this year. He gave an exclusive interview to ANN News to share the process of tracking down and arresting Tetsuya Yamaguchi.
Thai Police Launch Investigation After Tip-off from Japanese Embassy
Tatchai reported that the Thai police received information from the Japanese embassy regarding Yamaguchi’s hiding place in Thailand. The police launched an investigation and eventually discovered that Yamaguchi was living in a well-known upscale community in Bangkok, where he rented a two-story mansion with a private garden and swimming pool for approximately 800,000 yen.
The Suspect Sells High-End Art for Money Laundering
According to police intelligence, the fraud group led by Yamaguchi rented a building in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as a base for their scams, where 25 Japanese men were held to conduct telecom fraud, while Yamaguchi himself fled to Thailand. He operated an art sales website called “The Last Samurai of Japan” online, suspected of using the proceeds from fraud to launder money through the art sales site. At the time of his arrest, Yamaguchi reportedly held over 130 million yen in cryptocurrency.
Thai and Japanese Police Vow to Eliminate Southeast Asian Fraud Groups
Tatchai stated that another main suspect in the fraud organization is still at large, and the police have already learned his name. In an interview with Japanese media, Tatchai mentioned that the criminal activities of the Japanese fraud group in Myanmar’s scam centers are still under investigation, as the fraud suspects specifically target fellow Japanese nationals. Tatchai expressed that he will meet with the head of the Japanese police to exchange information, and he conveyed to the media that this year would be a key year for eliminating Southeast Asian fraud organizations. Thailand and Myanmar will conduct a series of crackdown actions and initiate transnational cooperation, and in a few months, Thailand will share its experiences in eradicating fraud organizations with several countries surrounding Southeast Asia.
In Taiwan, most people can only be rescued from Thai and Myanmar scam centers through private anti-fraud organizations. Are there measures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cooperate with the Thai police, who have no diplomatic relations with Taiwan, in arresting illegal individuals? It is hoped that the Taiwanese authorities will also take proactive action.
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