Vietnamese, South Korean Men Arrested Over Police-Impersonation Fraud Scheme in Saitama's Kawaguchi
This article organizes publicly available information into a single account. Where it describes an arrest or an ongoing investigation, that reflects only one stage of criminal procedure and does not mean guilt has been established (the presumption of innocence applies). We will update this article as new information becomes available, including the outcome of prosecution, non-prosecution, or trial. This article is not intended to unfairly disparage any individual, group, nationality, ethnicity, or belief, and aims to provide objective, fact-based information.
Saitama Prefectural Police's Organized Crime Countermeasures Division 3 and Kawaguchi Station announced on February 12, 2026 that they had arrested a Vietnamese national, 33, of no fixed address and unemployed, and a South Korean national, 54, an unemployed resident of Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, on suspicion of fraud. According to the Saitama Shimbun, the two are accused of repeatedly phoning a man, then 28, in Nakama City, Fukuoka Prefecture, starting the afternoon of February 3, 2026, falsely claiming to be police officers and telling him that "an account and card have been made in your name — aren't you part of a fraud group?" before having him transfer 500,000 yen in cash into the South Korean suspect's bank account and withdrawing it.
Police believe the South Korean suspect served as the "money withdrawer" and the Vietnamese suspect as the collector of the withdrawn cash, and are investigating the case as a possible operation by an anonymous, fluid criminal group ("tokuryu").
Current status: This case was originally reported at the time of the February 12, 2026 arrest, but was recirculated on social media in August as though it were a new incident. The full scope of the group's operations and whether the case will be referred for prosecution remain unclear as of this writing. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
Editorial Perspective
No decision on indictment has been made at this stage, so this article reflects information from the investigative phase. An arrest is only one step in criminal procedure and does not establish guilt (the presumption of innocence). According to National Police Agency and Ministry of Justice statistics, the number of Penal Code cases involving foreign nationals visiting Japan has risen for two consecutive years since 2023, but remains below its mid-2000s peak (related article). A single case does not necessarily reflect the broader statistical trend; further developments are worth watching.