Alleged Ringleader Nabbed for Mercari Fraud

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japanese police have arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly engaging in fictitious listings on the Mercari flea market app and defrauding cash by falsely claiming that the deals had been completed.

The suspect, Yuta Kobayashi, is believed to be the ringleader of a fraud group and had sought underlings through social media. He has remained silent in the investigation, according to people familiar with the matter.

Kobayashi was arrested on suspicion of conspiring with four other people to fraudulently display brand-name bags and other items at Mercari 42 times in June-July 2021, pretending that the transactions had been concluded, and receiving about 2.75 million yen from the app operator.

The fraud group is believed to have fraudulently received more than 100 million yen in at least 900 cases of fictitious listings and other methods, according to Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department.

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[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]