09/07/2025
Human trafficking involving Japanese nationals? A "recruiter" based in Cambodia claims that "Japanese people are profitable," and a man who was praised for being "hardworking" and paid a referral fee of approximately 5.7 million yen has gone missing. Overseas special fraud group
An overseas-based fraud group is currently targeting Japanese nationals for human trafficking.
An investigation into the recruiters revealed the true nature of their operations.
In an interview with FNN, a recruiter acting as an intermediary for an overseas fraud group in Cambodia stated, "Japanese people are a new market. If we can find one Japanese member, it's a big payout."
Despite increased crackdowns by police in Southeast Asian countries, fraud bases continue to expand.
Testimonies have also revealed the reality of human trafficking targeting Japanese nationals.
Sihanoukville, a city in southern Cambodia.
While the city has experienced rapid development due to Chinese capital inflows, many buildings remain unfinished, and security has deteriorated.
Footage of a suspected special fraud operation in Sihanoukville.
People working at computers lined up in a room and others spending time in a space surrounded by iron bars can be seen.
Meanwhile, footage from a fraud operation in Myanmar shows a woman attempting to escape from a balcony.
It appears she was driven to risk her life to escape.
We interviewed a Thai recruiter who knows the inner workings of such fraud bases.
Specialized fraud group recruiter:
Once you enter, you can't leave. You can't leave without paying a large sum of money.
According to this individual, at bases in Cambodia, you cannot leave for the first six months after entering.
To escape, you need a large sum of money or find someone to take your place.
Additionally, he mentioned that they had recruited Japanese nationals.
Specialized Fraud Group Recruiter:
(Q. When did you introduce Japanese nationals to the fraud group?) Around April of this year. I was asked by a Chinese-linked agent.
There was footage of a Japanese man who had been recruited speaking on the phone with a woman believed to be a member of the fraud group.
Woman on the phone:
What do you want to eat?
Japanese man:
Well, I don't know... food, snacks... I don't know what's available. I want to buy food and drinks. I'm not sure if I can go alone, so could you check for me?
This 40-year-old Japanese man was at the fraud group's base in Sihanoukville but was reportedly sold to another group.
In other words, the fraud group is treating those they coerce into participating in fraud as human trafficking targets.
The man was referred to a base in Poipet, a city in northwestern Cambodia.
This is the same city where a fraud group that detained 29 Japanese nationals in May had its base.
Japanese nationals are valued for reasons such as "working diligently," and the referral fee for this man was reportedly around 5.7 million yen.
However, the amount was not agreed upon, and the transaction fell through.
The man's whereabouts remain unknown.
According to the recruiter, the base raided in Poipet is just the tip of the iceberg, and multiple criminal organizations from Japan, China, India, and other countries are currently renting buildings and continuing their special fraud schemes.
Special fraud group recruiter:
In this country, you can buy anything with money. Moreover, the location of the base is on land owned by a high-ranking military official, so it cannot be raided.
In Cambodia, where bribery to government, military, and police officials is rampant, criminal bases continue to proliferate.
Groups are also reportedly flowing in from Myanmar and the Philippines, where regulations have tightened.
Japanese investigative authorities plan to transfer the 29 detained individuals to Japan and proceed with efforts to uncover the true nature of the fraud group.
FNN Prime Online
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2xmLDPFT5qY
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