Japanese police have arrested two people suspected of helping a fake police fraud group steal cryptocurrency worth approximately 81 million yen from a woman in her 40s.
Summary
- Japanese police arrested two suspects over a scheme allegedly stealing 81 million yen in cryptocurrency.
- Police believe the fraud group operated from Cambodia and targeted a woman in her forties.
- Investigators say the suspects’ linked cases caused confirmed losses totaling approximately 240 million yen overall.
- Japan recorded 617.1 billion yen in fake police scam losses through July this year nationally.
- Authorities believe a Chinese national directed the operation from a suspected Cambodia-based fraud center overseas.
FNN reported on Sept. 25 that police arrested 31-year-old Saki Okayama and 38-year-old Mitsuki Minamisawa on suspicion of involvement in the scheme. Investigators believe the group operated from Cambodia and impersonated Japanese police officers to pressure victims into transferring assets.
The victim was allegedly told that her bank card had been connected to a large money laundering investigation. According to police information cited by FNN, the group claimed a fraud case had caused 600 billion yen in losses and that around 400 accounts had been used to launder funds.
Fake police allegedly demanded proof of innocence
The scheme began with a telephone call from a man claiming to represent the Osaka Prefectural Police.
FNN reported that the caller told the woman her card appeared among accounts connected with the supposed money laundering investigation. The caller then claimed she was close to being arrested and needed to “prove her innocence.”
Police allege that the false accusation eventually led the victim to transfer cryptocurrency worth around 81 million yen. The assets were valued at approximately $515,000 using the conversion cited in reports on the case.
Investigators have not publicly identified the cryptocurrencies involved or disclosed the wallet addresses that received the assets. Available reporting therefore does not establish how the cryptocurrency was subsequently moved, converted or withdrawn.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department believes Okayama and Minamisawa participated in a larger organization. Known losses from fraud cases involving the two suspects have reached approximately 240 million yen, according to FNN.
Police suspect the group maintained its operational base in Cambodia, more than 4,000 kilometers from Japan. Investigators believe a Chinese national acted as the person directing the operation.
The available FNN report does not state that either suspect has been convicted. Both remain suspects in the investigation, and the allegations concern their suspected involvement in the fraud network.
Japan fake police scams are causing rising losses
The arrests come during a sharp increase in losses from people impersonating police officers throughout Japan.
Japan’sv National Police Agency reported that fake police scams caused 61.71 billion yen in losses during the first seven months of 2026. Authorities recorded 5,422 cases through the end of July.
Although the number of cases fell 6.4% from the same period a year earlier, financial losses increased 25.7%. Fake police schemes therefore remained one of Japan’s most costly forms of special fraud.
The National Police Agency began treating fake police fraud as a separate category in its 2026 statistics because the method had become increasingly common. Its data shows total special-fraud losses reached 210.81 billion yen through July, up 42.9% from a year earlier.
During the first half of the year, fake police scams caused 50.79 billion yen in losses. The average completed case cost victims around 11.64 million yen, according to police statistics.
The 81 million yen allegedly taken in the latest cryptocurrency case was therefore substantially above that first-half average.
Police have documented repeated cases in which impersonators tell victims that they are under investigation, that an arrest warrant exists or that their money must be transferred to establish innocence.
A separate Sept. 25 case involved a man in his 70s who lost approximately 73 million yen after callers claiming to represent the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department asked him to move money to prove he was innocent. Police stressed that investigators do not instruct people to transfer money to designated accounts.
Cryptocurrency is becoming part of Japanese fraud controls
Japanese regulators have been strengthening controls where fraud proceeds move through cryptocurrency exchanges.
Japan’s Financial Services Agency and National Police Agency asked exchanges in August to consider withdrawal delays and stronger checks on newly registered wallet addresses.
The proposed controls include waiting periods before new withdrawal addresses can be used, stronger transaction monitoring and restrictions when account behavior appears inconsistent with a customer’s normal activity.
Authorities have separately asked exchanges to improve phishing-resistant authentication and respond more quickly when police identify suspicious transactions.
The request followed rapidly rising fraud losses. National Police Agency figures showed 18,067 special-fraud cases and 151.47 billion yen in losses through May. Fake police schemes accounted for 40.32 billion yen of that amount.
Japan’s police have warned specifically about cryptocurrency investment scams. An updated Metropolitan Police notice says authorities continue receiving reports from people persuaded through social networks and matching applications to transfer cryptocurrency to fraudulent investment platforms.
A separate September case in Gifu involved a woman in her 70s who was allegedly told by people posing as police and prosecutors to convert assets into cryptocurrency for an investigation. She lost cryptocurrency worth 39.29 million yen and another 2 million yen in cash, according to police reporting.
Cambodia link points to a larger regional enforcement issue
The suspected Cambodia base in the 81 million yen case fits a pattern authorities throughout Asia have been investigating involving fraud operations run from overseas compounds.
Japan arrested an alleged senior Prince Group figure in June as authorities examined links between the Cambodia-based conglomerate and international fraud networks. Tokyo police arrested Hu Xiaowei over an alleged false residency registration while investigating his activities in Japan.
The current fake police case has not been publicly linked to Prince Group, and available police reporting does not identify the suspected Cambodia location or organization behind the operation.
Other Asian authorities have found Cambodia connections in separate cryptocurrency fraud investigations. South Korean police arrested 23 people in June over an alleged USDT laundering operation serving a Cambodia-based phishing network.
South Korean investigation involved 16.8 billion won in suspected laundering activity and more than 11,000 bank accounts.
Cambodia has meanwhile moved to strengthen criminal penalties targeting online scam operations. Its Senate approved legislation in April covering people involved in scam compounds and related organized fraud activity.
Cambodian legislation as authorities faced increased pressure over fraud centers operating in the country.
Tokyo police continue investigating the organization behind the latest case, including the suspected Chinese director and the group’s Cambodia-based operations. FNN reported that confirmed fraud losses involving the two arrested suspects currently total approximately 240 million yen.
