13 Japanese Men Arrested for Crypto Fraud After Extradition from Indonesia
Japanese police have arrested 13 men, aged between their 20s and 50s, on suspicion of orchestrating a cryptocurrency fraud scheme. The suspects were recently transferred to Japan from Indonesia, where they had been detained by local authorities in March. This case marks the first time a special fraud base involving Japanese nationals has been uncovered in Indonesia. The group is accused of targeting a woman in her 60s in Nara Prefecture, posing as police officers over the phone. They falsely claimed she was involved in money laundering to coerce her into purchasing approximately ¥8 million ($50,200) worth of Ethereum on eight separate occasions between mid-February and early March. The victims were instructed to transfer these funds to accounts controlled by the suspects. Authorities believe the operation was run from a base in Bogor, West Java, near Jakarta. During raids, police seized uniforms, smartphones, and tablets. The suspects are also linked to several other fraud cases in the Kansai region. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department highlighted the significance of this international cooperation in dismantling cross-border criminal networks exploiting digital assets.
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13 Japanese Men Arrested for Crypto Fraud After Extradition from Indonesia
Japanese police have arrested 13 men, aged between their 20s and 50s, on suspicion of orchestrating a cryptocurrency fraud scheme. The suspects were recently transferred to Japan from Indonesia, where they had been detained by local authorities in March. This case marks the first time a special fraud base involving Japanese nationals has been uncovered in Indonesia. The group is accused of targeting a woman in her 60s in Nara Prefecture, posing as police officers over the phone. They falsely claimed she was involved in money laundering to coerce her into purchasing approximately ¥8 million ($50,200) worth of Ethereum on eight separate occasions between mid-February and early March. The victims were instructed to transfer these funds to accounts controlled by the suspects. Authorities believe the operation was run from a base in Bogor, West Java, near Jakarta. During raids, police seized uniforms, smartphones, and tablets. The suspects are also linked to several other fraud cases in the Kansai region. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department highlighted the significance of this international cooperation in dismantling cross-border criminal networks exploiting digital assets.
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