Japan busts fake cell tower used in phishing scheme targeting Chinese tourists
A Chinese man was referred to prosecutors on Monday for allegedly disrupting a major mobile carrier’s services in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district with a rogue cell tower device, with police investigating possible links to a phishing scheme using illegal radio signals. Yu Hai, 31, an unemployed resident of Tokyo’s Kita ward, was arrested on Saturday allegedly in the act of operating a base station…
Japanese authorities have apprehended Yu Hai, a 31-year-old unemployed resident of Tokyo's Kita ward, on suspicion of operating an unauthorized cell tower device in the Ginza shopping district. The device, used to emit radio signals and disrupt NTT Docomo's services, is believed to have been employed in a phishing scheme targeting Chinese tourists. Yu Hai denies the allegations.
The radio law violation led to a widespread phishing campaign, sending suspicious text messages in Chinese containing web links to unsuspecting tourists and residents. These messages, first reported in January, prompted 18 Chinese nationals to contact police about unauthorized credit card use and other issues by October. The total reported losses amounted to approximately 4 million yen (US$25,300).
Yu Hai was observed traveling in a car allegedly carrying the equipment through busy shopping and entertainment districts. Japan's communications ministry raised concerns with Tokyo police in January, and the government subsequently issued a public warning about the fake base stations interfering with mobile phone services. IT journalist Yo Mikami expressed concern that similar incidents have been reported across Japan, particularly in busy shopping and entertainment districts, suggesting that Chinese tourists are the primary targets.
He recommended that individuals avoid opening unfamiliar messages and leave the area if their phone service becomes unstable.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
