Many Mobile Phones of Vietnamese Abused for Fraud in Tokyo

October 24, 2018

Tokyo- Some 30 pct of mobile phones used in special fraud cases reported in Tokyo in January-August were contracted under the names of Vietnamese people, an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department has found.

The number of such mobile phones involved in special fraud cases, including the so-called "It's me" fraud and other bank transfer scams, has surged this year.

Investigative sources said the culprits may be using authentic residence cards of Vietnamese residents in Japan, in response to stepped-up police countermeasures against forged identification documents.

The Tokyo police have asked Japanese-language schools and others to coach people on the appropriate management of their identification.

A Vietnamese man in his early 30s who came to Japan last year contacted a Facebook user after seeing a message in Vietnamese posted by the user, which offered to mediate the conclusion of mobile phone contracts for people who cannot speak Japanese.

In late April this year, he met up with a young Vietnamese man at East Japan Railway Co.'s <9020> Akihabara Station.

The two then went to a nearby electronics and home appliances store, where the man entrusted his passport, residence card and bank passbook to the mediator.

The man in his 30s was able to acquire a smartphone and he handed 5,000 yen as an honorarium to the intermediary.

Some two months later, the man received bills, aside from that of his own smartphone, for two budget smartphones that he did not know about.

He tried to ask about the smartphones as he had no recollection of signing up for them, but was unable to get in touch with the young Vietnamese man.

Of the two smartphones, one was found, through police investigation, to have been used to make a call for fraudulent purposes to the home of a woman in her 70s in Tokyo's Koto Ward in April.

As the contract to buy the budget smartphone was dated on the day the man asked the young Vietnamese man to mediate so he could get a smartphone, the MPD believes that the young Vietnamese man used the man's documents to contract the device without permission and that the phone was handed over to scammers.

The sources said that the man expressed regret for not securely managing his personal information.

According to the sources, the number of mobile phones contracted under Vietnamese identification that were used in special fraud cases surged to 144 in January-August, accounting for 30 pct of the total and up drastically from two devices recorded for the whole of 2017.

Of the 144, around 90 pct were budget smartphones, which users can buy without having to directly meet with staff at mobile carrier stores, and Vietnamese people's residence cards were used to conclude contracts for many devices.

A major carrier selling budget smartphones found that Vietnamese people accounted for over 90 pct of its foreign customers contracting mobile phones in and after April this year.

While admitting that the figure was "obviously at an abnormal level," an official of the company said that "we're helpless" if people use authentic residence cards.

"The Vietnamese people who have become isolated (from society) due to inability to receive support end up relying on suspicious businesses," said Akiyoshi Naito, a corporate consultant who has supported Vietnamese nationals residing in Japan.

"Distortions of the (Japanese) technical training program and study programs (in Japan) are leading to an increase in crimes," he added. Jiji Press