• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

In a shocking case that left Japan stunned, a 72-year-old woman who was scammed of 50 million Yen (about Rs 2 Crore) has now been arrested for helping the same gang of scammers that cheated her out of her money. Police in Fukuoka City, southern Japan, arrested Kumi Kawauchiyama on May 16 on suspicion of fraud after allegedly assisting one of these gangs cheat another elderly woman out of 12 million yen (about Rs 16.5 lakh)

Authorities revealed to the local media that unemployed Kawauchiyama, who has no fixed abode, confessed to assisting the fraud gang. In a tearful confession, she explained she understood she was being manipulated by fraudsters but asserted they "treated me nicely" and that she soon “began to like them.” She was also said to have been cheated in March, losing money and gold worth approximately 50 million yen. And then in April, someone claiming to be from the Tokyo Public Prosecutors' Office called her again — not to assist, but to ask her to join the same criminal gang.

Scam Revealed During Bank Visit

The scam came to light when an 85-year-old woman in Fukuoka received a call from a fake police officer, who told her to deposit all her assets into a specific bank account to “prove her innocence.” Kawauchiyama then went with the woman to the bank, posing as her daughter as instructed by the fraud gang. The victim even informed bank employees and officers who responded that Kawauchiyama was her secret daughter, and that she was sending the money as "compensation for all the trouble I have caused her." Despite the suspicious circumstances, the police let the transaction proceed, which attracted widespread online backlash. Days later, the investigators linked Kawauchiyama's account to other cases of fraud and apprehended her at a Fukuoka hotel on May 12.

Also read: Gold From The Dead? Thai Man Turns Cremated Teeth Into Treasure

The case has triggered intense public debate, with many online users expressing sympathy for Kawauchiyama’s loneliness and vulnerability. “This is truly sad. She knew the pain of being scammed, but still ended up helping them. Maybe she was just too lonely,” one commenter wrote. Others urged the government to do more to prevent victims from becoming perpetrators, with some suggesting others are enticed in through false assurances that they will get their money back. In response, Fukuoka police said they would enhance anti-scam efforts and information campaigns soon.

Also read: $2 Million Fraud Scandal: Indian-Origin Couple Accused Of Defrauding NZ Government; Know Full Case