The remnants of the “Black Market Fraud Group” have been arrested again on fraud charges.
A man who was a low-level employee at the time has learned the ropes and become the head of a large "receiving group".
On October 4, Kei Goda (32) and three other suspects were arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for swindling an 86-year-old woman out of 15 million yen in cash. The suspects pretended to be their grandchildren and called the elderly woman, saying, “I made a mistake in addressing a parcel for work and put payment documents inside. I need money today,” they allegedly said.
People who commit special frauds and go to the victim’s home to receive money are called “takers,” and Goda is believed to have been the head of a large group of takers.
“His group was a huge organization with over 40 members based in seven locations across Japan, including Tokyo, Tochigi, Osaka, Kobe, Ehime, and Fukuoka. The group has been involved in 64 cases since 2005, with total damage amounting to 160 million yen. The Metropolitan Police Department and others have been investigating since 2005, and have arrested more than 30 people so far. With the arrest of Goda and other top executives, we have finally been able to drive the group to destruction.
The background to the creation of a criminal organization using sophisticated deception methods is related to the past of Mr. Goda. In June 2007, this magazine reported on the fact that Hiroyuki Miyasako (51) and other Yoshimoto comedians had been conducting “black market sales” at the birthday party of the leader of a large-scale special fraud group held at a hotel in Tokyo at the end of 2002. In fact, Goda was a member of this scam group, the “black market” partner of Miyasako and others.
A former member of the scam group, who knew Goda well at the time, told us.
“The scam group that Miyasako and the others worked with was a huge organization with over 200 members in total. The main scam was a ‘corporate bond scam. They would call elderly people and ask them, ‘Would you like to buy a discounted corporate bond? The members who make the calls are called “kakego. The members who make the calls are called “kakego,” and Goda was one of the kakego. One of the leaders of the group was from Iruma (Saitama Prefecture), and he and Goda, who was also from Iruma, were local delinquents, so he must have joined the group through his connections. Of course, I was at the party at the end of ’14 when they invited Miyasako.
Although Goda was a low-level member of the group at the time, he brought Iruma’s juniors into the group and was like a big brother to the “Kakego”.
He was like a big brother to the “Kakego. He was almost 190 cm tall and wide, and his arms were covered with tattoos, so he was very powerful. Naturally, they relied on him in fights. Whenever a member of our group was having a big party at a club in Tokyo, he would often get into trouble with other delinquents. In such cases, Goda would immediately be called in. It was said that he always carried a knife with him. On the other hand, he was a good friend and paid well, so there were many juniors who adored him.
In addition, it seems that Mr. Goda was not only a martial artist, but also had a side to him.
In addition, Goda seems to have had more than just a martial side to him. “The modus operandi of corporate bond fraud is to have multiple people, such as a salesman from a securities firm or a policeman, make phone calls to convince people of the fraud. However, Goda was able to play multiple roles by himself by changing his voice. He was that dexterous and smart.
In June 2003, about half a year after Miyasako and the others’ “black market” operation, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department raided four condominiums in Tokyo and arrested a total of 40 men and women. The main suspect was also arrested at the same time, and the group was destroyed.
“It seems that Goda, who was a low-level member of the group, was able to avoid arrest. I don’t know how he built up his own group after that, but I’m sure he learned the know-how of fraudulent crime in the organization at that time.
It was a large organization with a total of 200 members, and it is likely that there are others who remain.
“From the November 12, 2021 issue of FRIDAY
