“Ruffy” Is Finally Deported to Japan — His “Personal Information Leak” and the “Black Market” Modus Operandi are Clever & Terrifying!
The main suspects in the widespread robbery that shook Japan were finally deported.
On February 7, the first batch of suspects, Kiyoto Imamura (38) and Seiya Fujita (38), arrived at the airport, followed by Masaki Watanabe (38) and Tomonobu Kojima (45) in the early morning of February 9.
The Watanabe suspects called it a “black market job” and recruited robbers to carry out robberies. In January of this year, there was even a robbery and murder case. The Metropolitan Police Department had long demanded their repatriation, but the Philippine government had not complied. The robbery-murder case brought negotiations to a head and extradition was finalized. After extradition, we plan to interview the four suspects, including Watanabe, who is believed to be the leader of the directing group, to get to the bottom of the situation.
The focus of the investigation will be on the specific manner in which the suspects committed the crimes. Of particular concern is the selection of the target victim. How did Watanabe and his team prepare their targets for robbery and fraud? The key is the existence of a list called a “roster.”
On January 10, major insurance companies Aflac and Zurich announced that they had leaked the personal information of a combined total of about 2 million of their customers. In fact, there is a strong possibility that personal information leaked from these companies is being used to commit black market crimes.
“In the blackmarket, any and all lists of loose personal information are being sold,” said one undercover broker.
The list is handled by a company called ‘roster agency,’ and there are a wide variety of lists being sold. There are lists of purchasers of major health food products and online shopping, lists of seminar participants, and even information on insurance subscriptions. The market price for each list is approximately a few yen. In most cases, the lists are compiled into an Excel file and sent to the relevant parties, saying, ‘We have received this list, are you interested’
So, how do the list agents obtain the lists?
Some of them get it by hacking, some of them are yakuza or semi gangs, and some of them get customer information by threatening to take advantage of their weakness, and some of them sell the information themselves when they get in need for money. The registrar just sells the information. What they do with it is up to the buyer.
It is highly possible that those leaked lists were used in this widespread robbery. A former subordinate of Watanabe’s told us about the lists.
“When I was working for the boss [Watanabe], we sometimes used information found on the Internet, but some members of the group purchased the lists from a directory store. Basically, for the boss’s group to commit the crime, all you need is a name, address, and phone number. The important part was the kakeko (caller) unit, who would call pretending to be a sales person, etc., and verbally ask for asset information. There is a conversation manual for this as well. The boss’s group brushed up the list by making their own calls in this way. It is possible that this original list was used to select targets for the takings.”
Terrifyingly, it is not only “leaked information” that is passed on to criminal groups.
“There are also those who give out information on their acquaintances for a share of the profits,” he said. “Someone who is close to them will ask them where they are hiding money or how much they have, and then pass it on to the criminal group. During a robbery, there are cases in which an acquaintance is standing next to the instructor and tells him the layout of the house and the whereabouts of the money over the phone,” said the broker.
Your personal information may already be in their hands.
From the February 24, 2023 issue of FRIDAY
PHOTO.： Shinji Hasuo (Imamura & Fujita) Sankei Shimbun (3rd photo)
