[Warning] Takaaki Ishii: "I heard that the modus operandi of foreign crimes in Kawaguchi City is that Chinese people are stealing letters from garbage to get personal information. Be careful."

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[Posted by Takaaki Ishii]

Today's crimes committed by foreigners in Kawaguchi City

1. Kurdish people have started collecting empty cans and other trash. They are apparently going to exchange them for money.

2. The Chinese are even more dangerous, as they are picking letters out of the garbage in an attempt to extract personal information.

Be careful

Source: https://x.com/ishiitakaaki/status/1865015851294036308

Everyone's comments

• Governor Ohno Motohiro of Saitama Prefecture has declared Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, the most difficult city to live in in Japan!
• It's scary to think that this isn't just a Kawaguchi City thing, but something like this is happening all over the country. We need to be more conscious of protecting our personal information.
• I never thought trash diving would be abused to this extent. I need to get into the habit of shredding all my letters and receipts.
• Collecting empty cans is one thing, but trying to steal personal information is too malicious. This kind of behavior should be cracked down on more strictly.
• Many people probably don't realize that there are methods of rummaging through trash to obtain personal information, so more widespread awareness is needed.
• We are now in an age where awareness of information management is required, including leaving parcels at the door and stealing mail.
• If personal information is targeted, you need to be even more careful when throwing out trash. You never know what could be dangerous if something you throw out every day.
• This may not only be happening in Kawaguchi City, but in other areas as well. I'd like more information to be shared.
• It's scary that trash collection could be used to steal personal information. We need to be more conscious of crime prevention at home.
• The more information society we live in, the more crimes that involve stealing personal information using analog methods like this may become. We need to be careful.
• Even though people say that leaving parcels at door-to-door delivery is dangerous, many people use it because it is convenient. However, if such crimes increase, measures need to be taken.
• I realized that there are dangers lurking in places we don't even realize, such as collecting ATM balance statements and misusing them.
• The fact that waste disposal methods are such an issue shows that all of our daily actions are directly linked to risk management.
• I think there are social issues behind the increase in these types of crimes, but that doesn't mean they should be tolerated.
• If there is a risk that your personal information may be stolen from your mailbox or when packages are left at your door, you may want to consider installing security cameras.
• I think many people throw away their ATM statements on the spot. From now on, they should take them all home and shred them.
• When we hear stories of empty can collection leading to crime, it may be that the rules for resource collection themselves need to be reconsidered.
• If there is a risk of information leaking, it would be helpful if the government were more proactive in raising awareness. Many people probably don't know about it.
• When I hear about how trash rummaging is being used to commit crimes, I feel that people, including myself, still have a lot to be done about crime prevention.
• I don't think this is a problem unique to Kawaguchi City. I think it's highly likely that similar things are happening in other cities too.
• I think that to prevent these kinds of crimes, we need a community-wide effort. There is a limit to what can be achieved by individuals being cautious.

Editor B’s opinion

Mr. Ishii Takaaki's report on the crimes committed by foreigners in Kawaguchi City made us think again about the dangers we should be careful of in our daily lives. Such warnings are very important. In particular, the fact that actions such as collecting empty cans and rummaging through garbage cans are not just for financial gain, but can also develop into actions that target our personal information is a problem that we cannot be complacent about.

First, reports of Kurdish people collecting empty cans and selling them for cash may appear on the surface to be a resource recovery activity. However, if the purpose of trash scavenging is to collect personal information, it is a threat to our privacy and safety. Also, reports of Chinese people extracting letters from trash in an attempt to misuse personal information are serious. If such behavior is truly widespread, it requires community-wide action.

We unconsciously throw away a lot of information as garbage in our daily lives. Letters, receipts, and papers containing transactions with financial institutions may not seem very important at first glance. However, these can be valuable sources of information for malicious third parties. Therefore, using a shredder to prevent information from being easily leaked is something you should be aware of as a basic crime prevention measure for the future.

As mentioned in the comments, the increase in deliveries to designated locations also increases the risk of information leaks from mailboxes and deliveries. Especially in today's world where online shopping is widespread, it is inevitable that shipping labels containing personal information will be exposed to the public. There will likely be calls for the introduction of more secure systems, such as the use of encrypted QR codes when delivering packages.

In addition, you should be aware that the paper that shows your balance and account number when you withdraw cash from a bank ATM may be misused. This is another danger that is easily overlooked in our daily activities. Rather than throwing away your ATM statement on the spot, you should always take it home with you and dispose of it properly.

The increase in these crimes may be due to complex factors, such as poverty and inequality in society, and a lack of support for foreign communities. However, these factors do not justify criminal acts. We need to protect an environment in which people can live in peace by raising awareness throughout the local community and strengthening crime prevention measures.

Ishii's warning calls for each of us to pay close attention to how we dispose of our garbage and manage our personal information. At the same time, we should work with the government, police, and local communities to monitor and take measures against such behavior. Creating an environment in which criminals cannot easily collect information is the first step to ensuring our safety.

Written by: Editorial Department B

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