Former Pop Idol Arrested In Japan Over Fraud Allegations

Former Pop Idol Arrested In Japan Over Fraud Allegations

Former pop star Juna Yamada has been arrested for allegedly swindling money from a man she met through a dating site.

Previously, the 22-year-old Yamada was a member of idol group SKE48, which she left in January 2019.

According to CBC TV, Yamada told the man that she knew how to make money through investing and is accused of defrauding a then 23-year-old company employee out of 500,000 yen ($5,926) in cash, which was supposed to cover financial investment instruction fees.

Yamada has denied the charges, saying she did not think of deceiving anyone out of money.

Three other suspects were also arrested and are believed to have been in connection with the alleged scam, which police are currently investigating further. Authorities believe it’s possible that over 100 individuals could have been defrauded out of around 58,000,000 yen ($687,061).

Tokyo Web reports that Yamada used a fake name on registered dating sites and apps, hiding that she was a member of SKE48.

Screenshot: CBCTV
Screenshot: CBCTV

The above image is from 2017 when Yamada was an honorary police officer for the day.


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