3 jailed for fraud targeting Japanese tourists in London

Wednesday 29th September, 06:29 AM JST

LONDON —

Three members of a fraud group have been jailed for carrying out a scam to steal from more than 100 Japanese tourists in central London, Reuters news agency reported Tuesday. The group targeted sightseers at places such as the British Museum and the Oxford Street shopping area, with one of the three, a woman, posing as a tourist and asking the victims for directions or to take a photo for her, according to Reuters.

Other group members would then approach and pretend to be police officers and demand details of the travelers’ identity and credit cards to take the cards and withdraw cash or make expensive purchases, the report said.

The three were jailed for periods ranging from 15 months to two years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal, it said.

The Japanese Embassy reportedly said it had received more than 100 reports of such thefts or attempted thefts targeting Japanese nationals.

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Latest 15 of 45 Total Comments Show All

bobbafett at 04:03 PM JST - 29th September

There are so many thieves in Japan. From Ozawa and Hatoyama, pension theiving offspring, down to the lowest Yakuza. I think that the problem with Japanese people is that they are trained to be slaves by companies and to bend over and take it from behind by the government, thus the default response is to comply, not to question when outside of social circle.
fishy at 04:35 PM JST - 29th September

simple question -- which is worse? a person who trick someone to steal? or someone who is being tricked to be stolen? the answer is obvious.
nothereillegal at 05:23 PM JST - 29th September

What legitimate cop in any country would ask to see your credit card? Anyone complying with a request like that deserves to be ripped off.
kirakira25 at 05:45 PM JST - 29th September

I`m with NorthLondon in that I feel ashamed that this is happening in my home country.

However, I am not surprised that they are specifically targeting Japanese as they will do anything to avoid confrontation. I apologise on behalf of the UK to any Japanese reading this.

But I am sorry, it is common sense that you don`t give your credit card details to ANYONE on the street like that, even a policeman. ID is one thing, but access to private accounts - that really is lacking common sense, whatever your nationality.
chinabeachmoon at 06:01 PM JST - 29th September

Sadly, the Japanese are an easy target, especially in London gift shops. For example: Buy some souvenir junk for six quid, give the smiling cashier a 20-pound note and get change for a tenner. Next please! Crime has moved on, though, judging by this more elaborate scam.
dontpanic at 06:13 PM JST - 29th September

fishy, the answer is obvious......the thief.
The758 at 06:41 PM JST - 29th September

I find it amazing that the majority of posters here are criticising the Japanese tourists ! I'm from London and I find it really embarrassing to read this story about the fraudsters and thieves targeting innocent Japanese tourists in my home city.

I would have to agree. One goes on vacation to relax and let one's hair down. To be scammed can ruin everything.

Yappari gaikoku wa abunai neeeeeeeeeeeeee...........

I hope the TV shows don't start with this. A few months ago I was watching a morning TV program in which they detailed scams in foreign countries (in this case Thailand). The "foreigners" were portrayed by Japanese actors with cheap blond wigs and large noses taped on their faces. It was highly offensive and I should have called the TV station and complained.
whiskeysour at 06:52 PM JST - 29th September

Very sad, but usually lowlife people target tourists in any country !!!

2 months ago I went to JTB to browse around at the prices to Hawaii. I overheard a saleswoman giving a young lady travel advice and precaution gong to Bali !!! It was funny to here because this woman will more likely forget what the travel agency said.
Klein2 at 08:13 PM JST - 29th September

"Sadly, the Japanese are an easy target, especially in London gift shops. For example: Buy some souvenir junk for six quid, give the smiling cashier a 20-pound note and get change for a tenner. Next please!"

An Australian did this to me. I gave a 50 and got change for a 20. I asked that they count the drawer, which they DID!, but they asked me to come back the next morning when the accounting department had verified it. Aw, too bad, I would would missed my flight. So they won despite my persistence in tracking it down. I was harried and hurried, so I just had to give up.

Foreigners are ALWAYS at a disadvantage for all kinds of reasons. I am a walking refutation of Zenny's con-artist maxim.
Zenny11 at 08:19 PM JST - 29th September

Klein2.

What you encountered was a crook/thief not a con-artist. ;)
bobobolinski at 08:22 PM JST - 29th September

It is difficult from such a short report to work out how the actual scam worked. According to the Reuters report, the female member of the gang pretended to be a tourist also, cooperating with the "police" and encouraging the Japanese tourists to do the same. But what they actually did - take the credit cards? just take details? pin numbers? - is hard to tell. Noticeably, the report says that there were reports of thefts "and attempted thefts" made to the embassy, so I think many of the Japanese were more savvy than some of the commentators here would think.
yourock at 10:22 PM JST - 29th September

being scammed abroad is nothing new, particularly to naive and sappy J-folks. This happened to me in Thailand, the country of scams. Paid for drinks, then notice the change is wrong. Argument follows, and no money back. Tough luck! OK, I order some more drinks, about the same amount as I was scammed and don't pay! We are even. Even the Thailand scammers thought that was fair. wtf! Shame on these three damaging the good reputation of the UK.
kyushujoe at 10:27 PM JST - 29th September

@MrDog >

"I was born and raised in Hull and it's not friendly there."

Well, (ex-) Yorkshire doesn't count, obviously. ;)
nandakandamanda at 11:49 PM JST - 29th September

Bought a coffee and a sandwich at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam. Checked the receipt and discovered my change was short. Went to the counter to complain and they said they would call the server, but, alas, no, he had just gone off his shift one minute before...
Klein2 at 12:34 AM JST - 30th September

Zenny, I have used your saying a hundred times. It sounds so good. But it is complicated. People are motivated by fear and greed, and they make mistakes because of haste.

An honest man cannot be motivated by greed. We agree on that. A lot of cons work on that principle, and Nigerian 419 scammers will be the first to tell you that you can't get a lot of money out of people unless they are greedy.

But honest people can be motivated by fear, as these Japanese people were. They should have called a cop, but of course, the con was designed to keep them from doing that.

In my Australian case, I was just a fool parted from his money. Honest, cheated, chastened. I am the kind of guy who gets 3000 yen EXTRA in his change and returns it to the cashier. This happened at lunch last month. I am such a sap. The cashier freaked out, too. Made a big scene.