Vietnamese Student Arrested in Tokyo for Role in Mass Financial Identity Theft Scheme

Tokyo police recently arrested a 20-year-old Vietnamese student suspected of working alongside criminals to fraudulently establish Tokyo community digital currency accounts. Investigators believe he unlawfully accessed personal information, such as telephone numbers and authentication codes, belonging to several targeted individuals. The suspect then provided these details to a criminal organization, primarily consisting of Chinese nationals, operating between June and December last year.

Authorities reported that the criminal group took advantage of this stolen data to open at least 12 fraudulent accounts on Hachi Pay, a digital payment service managed by Tokyo's Shibuya Ward. These accounts were subsequently connected to stolen credit card numbers, enabling the suspects to make unauthorized purchases of various goods, presumably to resell them for profit after purchase.

To carry out the fraud, the Vietnamese suspect allegedly utilized duplicated or manipulated SIM cards, enabling him to intercept SMS authentication codes typically sent by Hachi Pay to legitimate users' smartphones. By creating such intermediate payment accounts, these criminals effectively concealed direct ties between their illicit purchases and the compromised credit card information, which complicated police efforts to trace the individuals involved.

According to investigators, the suspect was compensated approximately 500 yen ($3.35) to 1,000 yen for setting up each account. Over the span of his involvement, it is estimated that around 500 illegal Hachi Pay accounts were opened. The suspect indicated to authorities that he received regular monthly payments totaling between 150,000 and 200,000 yen from the criminal group.

Further investigation suggests that the Vietnamese man, residing in Tokyo's Arakawa Ward, possibly had at least one additional accomplice working alongside the Chinese nationals to set up similar fraudulent accounts across other community payment platforms. This incident has highlighted notable cybersecurity vulnerabilities, particularly in the SMS-based authentication processes common among digital financial services.

Experts noted that local digital payment operators, often constrained by limited funding, struggle to significantly enhance their cybersecurity. They urged both operators and individual credit card holders to remain cautious. Masakatsu Morii, an emeritus professor at Kobe University specializing in information security, advised credit card users to diligently review their statements and immediately report any unfamiliar charges to prevent further financial exploitation.