Nigerian nationals, arrested by a joint investigation team from Hyogo and Toyama Prefectural Police for their involvement in an “international romance scam” that targeted Japanese women claiming to be living in the UK, are suspected of defrauding approximately 30 people out of roughly 315 million yen. According to investigators, individuals in Nigeria posed as foreign professionals, such as UN doctors or military personnel, on SNS to make contact with their victims. It is believed that the majority of the stolen money was transferred to Nigeria.
According to the investigation, the group allegedly defrauded 30 men and women aged 20 to 80 across 18 prefectures between 2019 and August 2023. The stolen money was reportedly converted from Japanese yen to Nigerian currency, the “naira,” by selling the yen to Nigerian money handlers in Japan.
The joint investigation team has so far arrested seven individuals suspected of involvement including two Nigerian nationals.
Investigators believe the group deposited the converted naira into a Nigerian collector’s bank account, who then transferred the funds to another account within Nigeria.
Based on communication app logs and statements from the arrested individuals, the investigation team suspects that the masterminds of the organization, as well as the “callers” who contacted victims through SNS, are based in Nigeria, indicating that a Nigerian crime syndicate is behind the operation.
Of the seven individuals arrested in Japan, one Nigerian man, a 32-year-old unemployed resident of Togane City, Chiba Prefecture, is currently on trial for fraud and theft charges. The investigation team sent related case documents to the Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office on the 14th.
