Arrest of Ex-Kanto Rengo Member in Phone Scam Operation

Tetsuya Yamaguchi, a former member of Kanto Rengo, was arrested in Japan for purportedly leading a Cambodia-based phone scam. He is accused of deceiving an elderly woman into transferring money. The police are investigating his ties to other fraud groups in Cambodia as well.

On Tuesday, Japanese police arrested Tetsuya Yamaguchi, a former member of the notorious quasi-gang “Kanto Rengo,” due to his suspected involvement in a phone scam operation located in Cambodia. Yamaguchi, 46, was previously detained by Thai authorities last month before his extradition to Japan by a police task force comprising three prefectures, including Saitama.

Yamaguchi has denied the allegations, stating he lacks knowledge regarding the operation, as reported by police sources. Investigators identify him as a leader of a phone scam group that has seen six of its members arrested. It is understood that he provided meals from his Japanese restaurant to the location utilized by the group for carrying out the scams.

The police task force is expanding its investigation to determine Yamaguchi’s potential ties to other phone scam operations, as Cambodia hosts several related fraud groups. The specific case leading to his arrest involves a scheme where Yamaguchi allegedly conspired with his group members to deceive a woman in her 70s from Osaka Prefecture into transferring ¥296,000 to a designated bank account on September 15, 2022. They misled her by posing as public health officials claiming she was eligible for a refund of medical costs, with the money later withdrawn from an ATM in Koshigaya, Saitama.

Yamaguchi’s connection to the case came to light following police analysis of a smartphone used by a man, aged 38, implicated in a separate phone scam based in Vietnam.

The arrest of Tetsuya Yamaguchi highlights ongoing efforts to combat phone scams in Japan and abroad. His alleged role in the scam operation emphasizes the collaboration between police forces in Japan and Thailand, and the importance of investigating international fraud networks. Continued scrutiny is expected on Yamaguchi’s connections to other scam activities based in Cambodia.

Original Source: www.japantimes.co.jp