TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 35-year-old woman after she allegedly swindled a Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) officer out of 4.5 million yen in a romance scam, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Oct. 21).
Megumi Nagashima, of unknown occupation from Saitama City, is accused of conspiring with accomplices between July and August 2024 to defraud the SDF officer, who is in his 30s.
According to the Takinogawa Police Station, Nagashima manipulated the man into developing romantic feelings for her before fabricating a story that she was being harassed by his ex-wife. She then allegedly extorted 4.5 million yen from the victim under the guise of “consolation money” to settle the fictitious trouble.
Upon her arrest on suspicion of fraud on Wednesday, Nagashima denied the allegations, telling investigators, “I do not admit to it.”
The pair initially met online in January 2024. The scheme finally unraveled when the victim directly contacted his ex-wife to confirm the situation. Realizing no such harassment had ever taken place, the man consulted police in October.
Investigators suspect Nagashima has made a habit of targeting public servants. Police are currently looking into her potential involvement in a past case where a different civil servant was defrauded of 10 million yen.