The Aichi Prefectural Police have arrested six people, two of whom are Chinese citizens, accused of using credit card data from a 60-year-old woman in Fukuoka to purchase products online. Among the items acquired was a watch worth 74,800 yen, sent to various addresses in Japan and resold on second-hand platforms. Authorities estimate that the group moved around 370 million yen through this organized scheme.
How the network operated: distributed shipments and digital resale 🕵️
The suspects used stolen data to make purchases at online stores, requesting delivery to intermediate addresses in Japan to avoid detection. Once the products were received, they redistributed them and resold them on second-hand markets, such as digital resale platforms. Coordination among those involved included the use of multiple accounts and addresses to hinder police tracking. This method, based on the fragmentation of operations, allowed the group to move large sums without raising immediate suspicion.
The 74,800 yen watch that never reached its owner ⌚
The victim, a 60-year-old woman, was probably expecting a package that never arrived. Instead, the watch ended up in the hands of resellers who, as cool as a cucumber, placed it on second-hand platforms as if it were an end-of-season bargain. The funny thing is that the scammers, apparently, were in no hurry: they moved 370 million yen without anyone saying a word until the police rang the doorbell. Maybe they should have asked for a loyalty card. 😅