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A few months ago, 21-year-old Yuya Yamomoto somehow managed to secretly take possession of an ATM card belonging to an acquaintance of his. Obviously, you don’t go stealing someone’s ATM card unless you’re also looking to steal their cash, but there was still one hurdle Yamamoto, a part-time worker living in Tokyo’s Mitaka district, had to clear.
Like any ATM card, this one required a PIN before Yamamoto could make a withdrawal, but obviously he couldn’t just ask the rightful owner, an 18-year-old high school boy, for it. However, it turned out that the code wasn’t very hard to break, since Yamamoto and the card’s owner are both ardent fans of Japanese idol singer unit Momoiro Clover Z.
As with all multi-vocalist idol groups, individual Momoiro Clover Z fans all have their own personal favorite, or “oshi member” as they’re called in the fan community. It’s especially easy to tell which singer a Momoiro fan supports too, since fans often attend the group’s concerts and events dressed head-to-toe in that singer’s pre-set image color.
So since Yamamoto knew which member the ATM card’s owner liked best, he guessed that he’d used the numerical digits of her birthday as the card’s PIN, and each singer’s birthday can be easily confirmed, since it’s listed as part of her profile on the official Momoiro Clover Z website. Yamamoto’s hunch turned out to be correct, and between May 21 and 23 of this year, he used the card to steal 112,000 yen from the owner’s account, withdrawing the cash from convenience store ATMs in Mitaka.
However, on Sept 11, the police announced that Yamamoto has been arrested and that he has admitted to the theft. With the major details of the crime now known to the public (although which specific idol’s birthday was used as the PIN remains undisclosed), Momoiro Clover Z has issued a statement through its website, saying: “Recently, a fan’s ATM card was illegally used by someone else. Please make sure that all of our ATM and credit cards are still in your possessions, and that the PINs are difficult for other people to guess.”
Because remember, your personal identification number should, at the very least, not be based on things publicly posted on a major music act’s website.
Source: Livedoor News/Jiji Tsushinsha via Jin
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2018/09/13/how-to-rob-an-idol-singer-otaku-look-up-the-birthday-of-his-favorite-idol/
11 Comments
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cucashopboy
Reminds me of that brilliant scene in Trainspotting 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EQCpQbUrzI
Goodlucktoyou
My partners brother did this to his mother, ¥1000000. Post code password. Security camera clearly showed him. But no charges were made as he threatened to ruin his sisters career if it was on TV.
Silvafan
That sounds like straight-up hacking. Most hackers work by taking advantage of the unaware public.
Pukey2
One of my Japanese friends used his birthday as the PIN. Somehow he lost his wallet (or pehaps it was stolen). It must have contained his birth date, because his bank card was used at an ATM succesfully.
starpunk
When I ever opened an account I've always been advised NOT to base my PIN on my birthday.
BlackFlagCitizen
Rule #1 for thieves - don't steal from a friend or acquaintance because you would be among the first people the police would suspect
ebisen
Hell yeah, no joke. Although I'm not sure I want to know about what particular 16 year old idol singer they fantasize at night before falling asleep...
rainyday
5-4-3-2-1? That is amazing! I have the same combination on my luggage!
Jonathan Prin
Some banks don't let you decide pin number. Basic safety.
starpunk
I'll just say that adults (even older than me) dress like the music entertainers at the shows. At Motley Crue's final tour, I met 4 guys dressed like the band in the 80s. At a Daryl Hall/John Oates show I went to this year many women had 'selfies' with a man resembling John Oates in his younger days. And when I saw ZZ Top this summer, I saw couples - married couples (straight and gay, many of them 50+ years in age) wearing caps, shades and fake long beards in resemblance to the real ones the band is noted for. There were some men with actual long beards too.
I've even ran into an older couple at an Adam Ant show all glammed up and dressed in piratical getup, like he does. And when I've seen Shonen Knife (a lady J-punk band) I've seen people of all ages and both sexes dressed up in cosplay getup.
Ain't no joke, fellas. It's all solid rock'n'roll and it's good fun.