EHIME (TR) – Ehime Prefectural Police revealed on Monday {that a} lady right here has been swindled out of a document 1.2 billion yen, experiences the Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 6).

The crime was carried out by a hoop conducting tokushu sagi, or specialised fraud, the place a caller on the phone impersonates an authority determine or a relative and deceives them.

In this case, the sufferer was an 80-year-old lady dwelling within the prefecture. According to the police, in October of final 12 months, she acquired a cellphone name claiming her medical health insurance card was getting used fraudulently.

A person claiming to be a police officer then approached her, saying he would assist show her innocence.

Between December 25 of final 12 months and February, the girl repeatedly made eight transfers of as much as 200 million yen every at a monetary establishment within the prefecture, finally shedding roughly 1.2 billion yen in whole.

The lady reportedly offered a fictitious land and constructing gross sales contract, acquired from the fraud group, to a monetary establishment to facilitate the big transfers.

Cryptocurrency

Also on Monday, Osaka Prefectural Police introduced {that a} lady in her 70s in Osaka Prefecture had been defrauded of roughly 300 million yen utilizing an identical methodology between October and December of final 12 months.

In the separate case, the girl was instructed over the phone, “Deposit money as an asset investigation is necessary.” Between final December and February, she transformed roughly 1.2 billion yen, which had been transferred to her account by the sufferer in Ehime, into cryptocurrency and despatched it to a delegated recipient within the ring in 100 separate transactions.

Osaka police consider the fraud ring used the Osaka sufferer’s account for cash laundering.

TOKYO (TR) — Following the sudden loss of life of 54-year-old former prime idol and actress Miho Nakayama in December 2024, her Paris-based solely son has reportedly renounced his inheritance, probably transferring her large 2-billion-yen property to her estranged mom, reviews Nikkan Gendai (Apr. 7).

Nakayama’s property — which embody in depth actual property, copyrights, and royalties from her chart-topping idol-era hits — are estimated to be value round 2 billion yen. With her son relinquishing his declare, authorized rights are anticipated to shift to her mom as the following statutory inheritor below Japanese legislation.

“While there is no formal confirmation from the family court and much remains speculative, many industry insiders worry that Miho is watching from heaven with a heavy heart,” a veteran leisure reporter who carefully adopted Nakayama tells Gendai.

“Double taxation”

A sure leisure producer says the rationale the son may resign his inheritance is believed to be the extraordinarily heavy burden of inheritance tax distinctive to Japan.

“We don’t know the contents of the inheritance or the actual procedures, but reports say that if the inheritance is 2 billion yen, a tax burden of up to 55 percent, or about 1.1 billion yen, will be imposed, and that it must be paid within 10 months from the day after the day the inheritance began,” the producer says. “Moreover, it is in principle to be paid in a lump sum in cash, and there are strict conditions for deferred payment or payment in kind, which is outrageous. Realistically, it’s almost impossible. Inheritance tax, which is levied on assets after death, even though income tax, resident tax and consumption tax have already been paid on the income during the deceased’s lifetime, has long been criticized as ‘double taxation.’ Shouldn’t the reality of Japan’s extremely heavy taxation, which is unparalleled in the world, be questioned?”

Tabloid goal

The fraught relationship between Nakayama and her mom was a frequent tabloid goal in the course of the actress’s life. After her dad and mom divorced when she was younger, Nakayama and her youthful sister, actress Shinobu, have been despatched to dwell with an aunt and uncle. However, after getting into present enterprise, Nakayama appeared to reconcile along with her mom, forging what was publicly believed to be a powerful bond.

Nakayama generously supported her mom financially, gifting her a three-story residence in 1995 and naming her the consultant of her private administration company in 1998.

However, the connection abruptly deteriorated within the early 2000s when Nakayama found that her firm’s financial institution steadiness was severely depleted. Suspecting her mom of misappropriating a whole lot of tens of millions of yen, Nakayama stripped her of her monetary duties and minimize ties fully.

The private administration company was dissolved round 2012, its operations quietly absorbed by a brand new firm headed by Shinobu. The bitter mother-daughter rift was reportedly by no means mended previous to Nakayama’s premature loss of life.

CAMBODIA (TR) – Five Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in a fraud ring had been detained within the capital Phnom Penh on Monday, authorities stated, studies Nippon News Network (Apr. 7).

The 5 are believed to be in a hoop that conducts tokushu sagi, or specialised fraud. Tokushu sagi is carried out on the phone by a caller impersonating an authority determine or a sufferer’s relative.

Monday, native authorities searched a room believed to be the ring’s headquarters and detained eight individuals in whole: 5 Japanese nationals, two Chinese nationals and one man from Taiwan.

The Japanese nationals are believed to have been concerned in impersonating law enforcement officials.

In addition to smartphones and computer systems, quite a few objects corresponding to what gave the impression to be Japanese police uniforms, pretend police identification playing cards and pretend arrest warrants had been seized from the room.

The room additionally contained police posters, lockers, and a whiteboard, suggesting they had been recreating part of a Japanese police station to deceive victims by way of video calls.

International fraud organizations are scattered all through Cambodia, however the Cambodian authorities is strengthening its crackdown with the goal of eradicating them as shortly as attainable.