Japanese authorities on Tuesday arrested two men, Shuichi Ejiri, 51, and Yuki Takeda, 32, for allegedly defrauding a 47-year-old woman from Aichi Prefecture of 36.5 million yen (about $242,000) under a false promise of marriage. The police suspect her total losses to the men may exceed 100 million yen ($700,000).
Ejiri, claiming to operate a lucrative business with annual earnings of 50 million yen, met the victim on a matchmaking app in December of the previous year, promising marriage. Takeda posed as Ejiri’s secretary. In March, they allegedly told the victim they urgently needed funds to pay a contractor and persuaded her to provide 36.5 million yen.
Upon investigation, police reported that Ejiri admitted to defrauding her to “pay off debts.” The case was uncovered when the victim approached the police in May. Authorities have since identified similar complaints against Ejiri and Takeda from other individuals.
