Japanese national arrested in Manila for voice phishing scam

A Japanese national, Yokota Tetsuya, 39, was arrested in Binondo, Manila, by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on January 2, 2025.

He is wanted in Japan for a voice phishing scheme that defrauded a fellow Japanese citizen of approximately $17,000 (2.75 million yen).

Tetsuya and his cohorts allegedly convinced their victim that transferring rights to a nursing home was a criminal offense, leading the victim to mail them the money.

An arrest warrant for Tetsuya was issued by a court in Omiya, Japan, on May 31, 2024.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado issued a mission order for Tetsuya at the request of the Japanese government.

Tetsuya is currently detained at the BI detention facility in Taguig City pending deportation proceedings.

He will be deported back to Japan and perpetually banned from re-entering the Philippines.