Executive arrested over automated fraud netting ~7.9M yen in gift cards

The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Wataru Takemura (46), a company executive from Koto Ward, Tokyo, on suspicion of fraud, alleging he used self-made automation programs to submit roughly 4,700 fake applications to a recruitment advertising firm's campaign site and obtained about 7.92 million yen worth of Amazon gift cards. Between around September 2022 and November 2023, the suspect is alleged to have repeatedly registered accounts and requested materials on a student-targeted campaign by entering other people's names and addresses. According to Yomiuri Shimbun, police are investigating illicit gains of at least around 30 million yen including campaigns at other companies, and it has been suggested he may have earned over 10 million yen by using and reselling the gift cards. Asahi Shimbun reports further details.