Malaysia arrests 7 Japanese men suspected of phone scam operation

The men, aged between 23 and 41, were arrested and immediately charged with violating immigration law.

Chinese man accused of stealing passwords linked to e-cigarette scam, Japan says

The syndicate members allegedly impersonated banking staff and told victims there were problems with their accounts, requesting that they transfer funds to another account provided by the scammers.

The suspects are being held by immigration authorities pending further investigation.

Crime syndicates involving Japanese nationals have been reported in other parts of Southeast Asia recently.

Trapped scam victims in Myanmar pin hopes on China’s cybercrime crackdown

It has also become a problem domestically in Japan, where local authorities are considering restricting retirees’ ability to access cash machines in an effort to halt the worsening problem of scammers fooling elderly people into parting with large amounts of money.

While the scope of the proposal is relatively limited, some older Japanese have raised concerns that it may prevent them from accessing their bank accounts, and fear additional restrictions could be imposed if it does not prove effective in halting the scams.