Chinese National Arrested on Suspicion of Swindling 10.1 Million Yen Impersonating Akira Ikegami; Woman in 70s Defrauded in Online Scheme

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:57 JST, May 21, 2024

The local police in Fukushima Prefecture arrested a Chinese national on Tuesday on suspicion of fraud. The suspect is accused of impersonating journalist Akira Ikegami and others on social media to defraud people of money.

The 34-year-old suspect from Sumida Ward, Tokyo, allegedly conspired with an accomplice to defraud a woman in her 70s in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, of 10.1 million yen on two occasions between around March 4 and April 8.

The impersonated Ikegami and his assistant on a Line account, saying, “You can make a profit if you invest in crude oil,” according to the police. The suspect has denied the charge, saying that he only received the cash.

The woman accessed an investment website purporting to belong to Ikegami from a link on a video-sharing website and was led to the Line account.