China lifted its zero-corona on December 8, 2011. Since then, there has been a sharp increase in rip-offs targeting Japanese nationals in Shanghai.
A Japanese man in his 20s who is either posted to China or on a long-term business trip has been a victim,” said Mr. Katsumaru.
”In December alone, the total number of Japanese nationals in Shanghai was over 1,000.
In December alone, the Japanese consul general in Shanghai received 10 cases.
Dating Apps
All of the victims used dating apps.
They were invited to lunch by a Chinese woman they met on a dating app,” said Katsumaru. They had dinner at a high-end Chinese restaurant, and they thought it would be 10,000 or 20,000 yen for two people, but they were charged 7,000 yuan (about 140,000 yen).
Mr. Katsumaru said he heard from one of the men who had been victimized over the phone.
A business acquaintance of mine asked me to talk to him because one of his employees had been victimized in Shanghai,” he said.
The man, in his late 20s, was on an extended business trip to Shanghai to participate in a project.
He was an elite employee who spoke Chinese and English. He knew very well that if you are honey-trapped in China, you will be photographed and raided by public security. He thought that a Chinese restaurant would not be a karaoke club or girl’s bar where there is a risk of honey trapping, and that if he just met someone on an app and had lunch, there would be no problem.”
The Chinese woman who showed up was quite beautiful.
She was in her late twenties and soft-spoken. When she looked at the menu, she saw only pictures of the dishes and no prices. They chose a few dishes and ordered one beer each.
We had to pay.”
The woman spoke to him in fluent English.
She asked me, ‘What kind of work do you do now? She said, ‘You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. She said, ‘How long are you in Shanghai? Can I see you one more time? He was told things like, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know. His language was sophisticated, and he seemed to trust him completely.”
However, when she finished her meal and tried to pay, she went to …….
The man was surprised to find that he was charged 7,000 yuan (about 140,000 yen) when he thought it would be at most 20,000 yen. When he complained that this was absurd, the waiter brought him a menu and showed him the amount.”
He said he was suspicious when he was suddenly presented with a menu containing the amount of money.
The woman, however, told him, ‘I have no choice but to pay it,’ and he reluctantly paid with his card because he didn’t want to get into trouble. The woman is definitely connected to the store. Since Zero Corona has not been profitable for a long time, they are probably trying to make a killing by ripping off the customers.”
There is another pattern to this rip-off.
“Chinese women I met on an app would first invite me to a coffee shop. We chat for a long time over a cup of tea, and when the evening approaches, she asks me if I am hungry and if I want to go out to eat. Do you want to go out to eat? She asks me if I want to go out to eat. The woman pays for the tea. The man, feeling embarrassed, says, ‘I’ll take care of the food. Then they are taken to a Chinese restaurant where they are ripped off. The price is usually 7,000 yuan.
Although only 10 people have reported to the Consulate-General of Japan, the actual number of victims is much larger, he said.
Married couples would not contact their wives because it would be too risky for them to find out,” he said. Similar rip-offs occur not only in Shanghai, but also in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, where not only Japanese but also other foreigners are victims. Restaurants that are struggling in Corona should continue to try new methods to make money.”
Enkaku Katsumaru
Enkaku Katsumaru joined the Metropolitan Police Department in the mid-1990s and has worked in the public safety and foreign affairs field since being assigned to public safety in the early 2000s. He worked at Japanese embassies abroad for several years before retiring a few years ago. He is currently working as a security consultant in Japan and abroad. Former Public Security Police Katsumaru Office’s website: https://katsumaru-office.tokyo/
Daily Shincho Editorial Department
