Yakuza Member Who Ran $724,000 Scam Arrested in Thai Airport
By Bryan Ke
A member of the biggest yakuza organization Yamaguchi-gumi was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport last week as he attempted to board a flight to Cambodia.
The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Tatsuka Tanaka, was arrested by Immigration Police at the airport checkpoint on June 22 over fraud charges, Thairath reported.
Upon checking in, authorities discovered that he has numerous records of entry into Thailand and usually stays in Pattaya.
The Tokyo native is reportedly the leader of a fraud ring that managed to scam 83 people and gain 80 million Japanese yen ($724,000) in total.
Their modus operandi involves deceiving victims by claiming to be representatives of Yahoo and telling them that they were liable for unpaid fees from various internet sites, according to the commander of Chonburi Immigration, Pol. Lt. Songprot Sirisukka, as translated by Coconuts Bangkok.
Tanaka and five fellow gang members would then instruct the victims to pay the unpaid fees using Amazon gift cards.
The gang members have all been arrested by Thai authorities, while Tanaka is set to be deported to Japan.
The power of Japan’s yakuza has been dwindling in their home country. Japan Today reported that the total number of gang members has dropped significantly to below 20,000.
Images via Thairath
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