Alleged Condo Fraud Scheme of a 50-Year-Old Man, Fueled by a Chance Encounter on a Marriage App, Amidst Claims of a Falsified Annual Income

“It would be nice to live around Minato Ward together.”

“I’d like to live in a tower mansion with you.”

At a preview of a high-rise condominium, the man sweet-talked a woman who attended the event with him.

On April 11th, the Atago Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department announced the arrest of Kazuhiro Yano (50), occupation unknown, residing in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on suspicion of fraud. Our newspaper photographer captured Yano’s arrest. When Yano noticed the camera, he frowned and showed a stern expression.

“The victim was a woman in her 50s, Ms. A, who works as a company executive. The two met through a marriage app in August last year. Yano confessed and started dating in the tower mansion in Minato Ward, where he lived. Yano allegedly deceived Ms. A into believing that he was an advisor in the advertising agency and had an annual income of 42 million yen.

They participated in the tower mansion’s viewing event together, where Yano reportedly invited Ms. A, saying, ‘It would be nice to live around Minato Ward together.’ In September last year, he allegedly explained that ‘there’s a good property available’ and ‘if you don’t pay the deposit, someone else will take it,’ and deceived Ms. A out of approximately 5 million yen.” (National newspaper social affairs reporter)

Married man says, “Let’s get married.”

 

However, it was revealed that suspect Yano had not purchased the property in question. When Ms. A demanded the return of the deposit, Yano made excuses such as someone else has taken the property and refused to refund her. Ms. A consulted the police, and the incident came to light.

“In addition to Ms. A, at least eight other women have reported being victims of Yano’s scams. The total amount transferred from these women to Yano’s account is said to be close to 70 million yen. When questioned by the police, Yano denied any involvement, saying, ‘I don’t know anything about it.'” (Same source)

Cases of trouble arising from exploiting marriage proposals are becoming increasingly common. Let’s introduce some of the major incidents that have occurred recently:

– In July 2022, a man in his 40s, Mr. B, was arrested on suspicion of murder. Despite being married, B frequently attended matchmaking parties. He began dating a single mother he met at one of these events, but they encountered some kind of trouble, leading to her murder. It was reported that the woman was pregnant with B’s child.

– In February of this year, a man in his 30s, Mr. C, was arrested on suspicion of fraud. C met a female doctor on a dating app and falsely claimed to her that his grandfather was a wealthy oil tycoon who drove luxury cars in Saudi Arabia and owned numerous properties domestically and internationally. He hinted at marriage and asked her to purchase bank claims as a gift and estate tax countermeasure, deceiving her out of millions of yen.

Naturally, one should be wary of sweet deals. If proposed marriage by someone with an unclear background, it’s best not to make decisions alone but consult with family members or friends. Even with close relationships, it may require courage not to easily comply with requests for large sums of money.