Japan Arrests Two Suspects Over ¥81 Million Cryptocurrency Fake Police Scam

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, in a scheme allegedly directed from overseas.

FNN reported on Sept. 25 that authorities detained 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 their 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.

🇯🇵 Au Japon, une femme a perdu l'équivalent de plus de 500 000 $ en cryptos après que de faux polici lui ont demandé de transférer ses fonds pour… « prouver son innocence ». L'arnaque aurait été orchestrée depuis un centre d'appels au Cambodge. Les escrocs se faisaient… pic.twitter.com/GS09p6esa1 — Goku 🗞 (@Crypto__Goku) September 27, 2026

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, and that 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. Using the conversion cited in reports on the case, the assets were valued at approximately $515,000.

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 Available reporting therefore does not establish how the cryptocurrency was subsequently moved, converted, or withdrawn.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. According to FNN, known losses from fraud cases involving the two suspects have reached approximately 240 million yen.

Police suspect the group maintained its operational base in Cambodia, more than 4,000 kilometers from Japan, and 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.

Fake police scams drive rising losses across Japan

The arrests come amid a sharp increase in losses from impostors posing as police officers throughout the country.

Japan's National Police Agency reported that fake police scams caused 61.71 billion yen in losses during the first seven months of 2026, with authorities recording 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%, keeping fake police schemes among 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, and the average completed case cost victims around 11.64 million yen, according to police statistics — meaning the 81 million yen allegedly taken in the latest cryptocurrency case was 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. In a separate Sept. 25 case, a man in his 70s 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 oversight where fraud proceeds move through cryptocurrency exchanges. In August, Japan's Financial Services Agency and National Police Agency asked exchanges 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, with fake police schemes accounting for 40.32 billion yen of that amount.

Japan's police have also 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.

In a separate September case in Gifu, a woman in her 70s 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 that authorities throughout Asia have been investigating: fraud operations run from overseas compounds. In June, Japan arrested an alleged senior Prince Group figure as authorities examined links between the Cambodia-based conglomerate and international fraud networks, with Tokyo police detaining 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 the 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, in a probe that involved 16.8 billion won in suspected laundering activity and more than 11,000 bank accounts.

Cambodia, meanwhile, has 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, as the country faced increased pressure over fraud centers operating on its territory.

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.