7 Key Members of Major Bank Account Brokerage Ring Arrested

Nagoya, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–The Aichi prefectural police department on Thursday arrested seven key figures of an organization that allegedly took over bank accounts to sell them to criminal groups. The organization, led by Yusuke Nishikawa, 32, who is among the seven individuals, is believed to be one of the biggest of its kind in Japan, handling over 1,000 accounts annually for the purpose of money laundering. The seven are accused of fraud and violation of the law for the prevention of transfer of criminal proceeds. They allegedly sold stolen accounts not only in Japan but also to a Chinese fraud group based overseas. They include Kanami Takada, 32, Ryoma Hirayama, 27, Masaya Shintani, 36, and Emiko Matsumoto, 35. Matsumoto was also arrested in September for her alleged involvement in recruiting members of a fraud group based in Myanmar. In April-May, the seven are suspected of illegally obtaining strangers’ smartphones, as well as a smartphone linked to a bank account through an internet banking app. Five of the seven, including Nishikawa, have admitted to the allegations, while Takada and Matsumoto have remained silent, police sources said. According to the Aichi police’s cybercrime division, Nishikawa and others started engaging in such activities three years ago or earlier. They advertised their group as “Japan’s biggest bank account broker” in both Japanese and Chinese posts on Telegram, a messaging app known for its strong confidentiality. They obtained smartphones linked to bank and cryptocurrency accounts through people engaged in illicit “dark” part-time jobs, and sold them to fraud groups, police sources said. They paid the part-timers 50,000 to 400,000 yen per set of an account and a smartphone, while receiving some 600,000 to 1 million yen from fraud groups, the sources said. Under Nishikawa, members of the group played different roles, such as paying the part-timers, managing account information, checking if assets were frozen, and negotiating prices with fraud groups, the sources added. The Aichi police and the National Police Agency identified group members through cyber patrols. Investigators found traces of swindled money in some of the brokered bank accounts. The police are looking into the money flows. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]