Philippines Arrest Senior Member of Japanese Fraud Syndicate

Philippine authorities arrested a senior member of Japan’s “Luffy Group,” a transnational crime syndicate accused of large-scale frauds targeting Japanese citizens. Investigators say the group impersonated police and finance ministry officials to gain victims' trust, gained entry to homes, distracted victims, swapped ATM cards with counterfeit cards, and used the stolen cards to withdraw money; parts of the operation were run from the Philippines and other members may remain active.