NAGOYA — Japanese police have arrested a 16-year-old high school student from Nagoya for allegedly participating in a Myanmar-based fraud ring that used scam calls to steal millions of yen, authorities announced Saturday.
According to the Aichi Prefectural Police, the boy returned to Japan after being detained by Thai authorities. He is accused of conspiring with Shoki Ishikawa, 32, and Tomonari Yachi, 22, to fraudulently obtain ¥9.9 million from a man in Mie Prefecture. The victim was on a business trip in Oregon, USA, when the suspects called him on January 14, pretending to be Aichi police officers. They falsely claimed his bank account was involved in criminal activity and urged him to transfer his money.
The teenager had traveled to Myanmar via Thailand in December 2024, after being recruited through Telegram by someone who promised him a job offering programming experience. Once in Myanmar, he joined around eight other Japanese nationals, including Ishikawa, in making scam calls under the direction of an unidentified Asian ringleader.
The boy was taken into custody abroad in mid-February and returned to Japan, but went missing before a scheduled voluntary interview with police on Monday. Authorities later located him in Saitama Prefecture on Friday and launched a compulsory investigation over fears he might attempt to flee.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and may lead to further arrests as they unravel the scope of the cross-border fraud operation.
