Matching woman…charged 330,000 yen! Kabukicho “Rip-off shocking trick”!

I know a great place nearby.”

The woman invited the man, whom she had just met, saying, “I know a nice restaurant nearby. Once at the restaurant, the woman ordered drinks one after another, as she was used to doing. The woman’s explanation was that “5,000 yen is all you can drink,” but the man was charged a hefty 330,000 yen.

On October 7, Kazuteru Tokuchi, 26, a bar owner in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo, was arrested on suspicion of violating the Entertainment Establishments Control Law by allowing female employees to entertain customers without a license. The suspect ripped off male customers and demanded exorbitant amounts of money from them. He used a matching app to commit the crime.

The female employee hid the fact that she was a staff member and invited a man she met on a matching app to the restaurant. The men went to the restaurant with the intention of going on a date with the woman, and were charged a hefty amount of over 300,000 yen. The restaurant claimed that it was ‘all you can drink,’ but that ‘what the woman ordered was extra.

The female employee pretended to be a victim herself, saying things like, ‘I’ll call my parents and get some money for you,’ or ‘I’ll go to an ATM and withdraw it,’ and went outside, but did not return to the restaurant. The female employee received 10% to 15% of the amount charged as remuneration, and earned about 700,000 yen a month.

One after another, “matcha high” at 2,500 yen per cup ……

After receiving more than 30 complaints about the restaurant, the Shinjuku Police Department of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department began a reconnaissance investigation.

In mid-September, investigators observed a young female employee meeting a man in front of a fast food restaurant near the restaurant. When they entered the restaurant, they found that entertainment was taking place, so they arrested five men and one woman, including the suspect Tokuchi, in the act. The suspects were caught red-handed and arrested.

The usual price at this restaurant was about 15,000 yen, including snacks and the charge,” the suspect said. However, the “matcha high” ordered by the female employee was exorbitantly priced: at 2,500 yen per cup and containing no alcohol, the women ordered one after the other. Before they knew it, the price had become too high.

It is believed that he sold more than 8 million yen a month through this scheme. When asked by the investigators, Tokuchi remained silent, saying, “I don’t want to talk about anything right now. The police are investigating because they believe there are other victims in addition to the known victims.

In Kabukicho, rip-offs have become a major problem, with more than 1,000 cases reported to the police in 2003. Although the situation temporarily calmed down due to a strict crackdown, the number of victims surged again. Recently, there has been an increase in new criminal tactics, such as the use of matching apps, as seen in this case.