crime

The great porn swindle: How one elderly man lost almost Y30 mil

28 Comments

Scams, called “sagi” in Japanese, are often aimed at older people, taking advantage of their kindness or ignorance of modern trends. The most common sagi is the ore ore sagi, where young men call older people and pretend to be a member of their family, quickly saying “It’s me, it’s me, I’m in trouble,” and asking for immediate financial help. As these scams have become more common, the government has done a better job of warning people, with posters and bank staff frequently warning customers to be sure that they have their facts straight before making any large money transfers from their account.

Unfortunately, one older man in Tochigi Prefecture has found himself the victim of an altogether more insidious sagi.

The unnamed victim was reportedly fleeced out of around 30,000,000 yen after receiving a letter informing him that “the pornographic videos you have purchased are illegal.” The letter explained that by buying the raunchy DVDs, the man was also implicated in the crime. Finally, he read that if he wanted to avoid the matter becoming public, he should call the included phone number.

Upon ringing the number, the man was told, “The women who performed in the films are suffering,” and, “if you just pay up, we don’t have to go to court."

Perhaps to avoid the public shame or feeling twinges of guilt for the women, the man paid the roughly 30,000,000 yen in eight installments via the post office’s cash transfer system. Eventually, he thought something was suspicious about the whole thing and contacted the police.

The government is strongly recommending that people not respond to any suspicious letters or phone calls.

Source: JIN115

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28 Comments
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What made him suspicious only after forking out 30 million?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Wakarimasen:

I have often asked this. In the case of many, they often inherited it. Also you have to remember that anyone with half a brain that bought property in the 1970s saw it quadruple and quintuple over the next 15-20 years...easy money that can not be made this way today.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Heh, I have no trouble believing the letter was sent out blindly to men. Out of any group of men, what percentage have ever purchased a porn video at some time? I'd say the number is safely above 50%, so you have a better than 50% chance to get somebody worried.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Had a bucho get caught importing porn from the US once. Bad day for him at the factory when he got back.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Maybe I need to get into a new line of "work." A fool and (what used to be) his money have been parted.Talk about gullible! Before I fork over even 30 yen, I tell them to prosecute me, publish my name, call my wife, tell all my female co-workers, inform the neighbors, rat me out to my pastor, run my photo in the newspaper, whatever. See you in the soup line, old timer.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Hah...that's pretty original! But 30Mil...wtf! He should have just taken his chances and ignored it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The funny thing about this story is, it doesn't even explicitly say he actually bought the porn. At first I read it that he hadn't, and it is still perfectly believable, because he is so afraid of losing face that he will even pay to cover up a lie. (Which is how all the yakuza- board mtg intimidation racket works/ used to work: "We will threaten to make noise and make public embarassing but untrue things about your company.")

Of course the "he eventually suspected something fishy" line makes it clear he must've actually bought some porn... Still, how can you be so stupid to pay that kind of money!!

(Unless it was really illegal stuff- but in that case he wouldn't've gone to the police after thinking it fishy.)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

30 million could be the amount that was just paid into his account on his retirement.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Maybe the guy just bought a pc and doesn't understand how the spam box works.

What if what he watched was not just good 'ole porn, but some other type of porn? Kiddie porn would be enough to put the wind up someone, I'd imagine.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

waka: "How does someone so dumb end up saving JPY 30 million?"

My thoughts exactly!!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Geez, the victim must really feel like an idiot now... how could u possibly send that kind of money because you felt sorry for the women in the films?? that is just nuts.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Most of the comments here refer to the victim, but it's the thief that I really can't understand. How can someone be so vicious to steal that amount of money from an old man? What kind of a person is it? Is it even a human being? How revolting.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Something similar is going on in my country too, but instead of phone, when one enters on a porn site a notice comes out telling you that it is from the police (lol) and that you're been caught watching illicit material that is banned and to pay the sum of idk how much EUR. What's funny is when a male friend would call you all panicky because he hasn't a VISA card and needs to pay a charge..was thorn between wanting to tease him because now I know he watches porn or sympathizing with him XD

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What an idiot!! 30 million yen? Let me guess, he was a regular customer for some XXXXX DVD place and somebody saw an easy “sucker"??

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I'd like to know exactly how old this "older man" was. Old enough that he may have suffered from senile dementia or just old enough to know better?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Looks like somebody was taking notes on the whole "Prenda" case in the US, and decided to implement it here...

Basically a law firm in the US doing the same thing as these criminals, but with the premise of "law" on their hands, and casting a much wider net.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Lost 300 large for something that is free? Something fishy about this story.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

No, it's $300,000, not $30,000. Mindblowing.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Seriously? That's almost $30,000 US. Wouldn't you be even a little bit suspicious from the start? And the women are suffering because sharks like the guy who the old fella called are forcing them into the industry, probably with the same trick that fooled the old fella. SHAME.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

may be he had recently purchased child porn videos and was genuinely worried otherwise paying 30 million yen over a porn video is a bit too much.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Or he had bought such nasty porn that he was genuinely qorried.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

30 MILLION Yen over EIGHT installments? Sorry, no sympathy here. With every account of a 'sagi' incident like this, particularly with such high amounts of money swindled, I'm left wondering if the idiom, "A fool and his money are soon parted." didn't actually originated in Japan...

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Where have all the money gone? Gone to scammers every one. Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

How does someone so dumb end up saving JPY 30 million?

14 ( +16 / -2 )

@yubaru Well, maybe not to everyone and certainly not to his mother, but it looks to me like a letter

that is sent out phishing. Here's an example. http://naname.cacao.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/47b47243.jpg

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Expensive entertainment. I wonder where the money would have gone?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Eventually, he thought something was suspicious about the whole thing and contacted the police.

"We get too soon old and too late smart" I'll bet that there is more to this story than the guilty party here fishing for this older dudes cash. That isn't the type of letter that just gets sent out to everyone and their mother looking for a response. Someone, somewhere must have had information or known about this guys buying habits and took advantage of him.

I hope the cops nail these jokers.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

LOL! poor old guy! thats alot for a porno tape. Isnt it free on the internet anyways?

7 ( +8 / -1 )

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