Japanese Single Mother Arrested for Impersonating a "Robber"... "Fell into Crime After Working a Dark Part-Time Job"

Mass Involvement of General Public Recruited via SNS in Serial Assaults
High-Paying Part-Time Jobs... Recruiters Claim No Harm Caused

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Recently in Japan, a social issue has emerged involving so-called 'dark part-time jobs (闇バイト),' where criminal organizations recruit people through social networking services (SNS) like Telegram to commit crimes such as robbery. It is known that mainly single mothers, people with bad credit, and university students in need of money have become involved in these cases and fallen into criminal activity.

On the 20th, Mainichi Shimbun reported that cases are increasing where people such as those with bad credit, single mothers, and university students who took on dark part-time jobs were unknowingly mobilized by criminal organizations. Since May last year, more than 30 serial robbery incidents involving break-ins and theft of valuables have occurred across Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, and other regions. The seriousness of the issue became apparent as ordinary people who applied for dark part-time jobs were also implicated.

The criminal organizations recruited victims on SNS with messages like "We are hiring for high-paying part-time jobs. No actual harm will come to anyone." The people giving instructions operated under aliases to evade investigation. In the case of the recent serial robberies, the person giving orders reportedly claimed to be 'Luffy,' a character from the manga One Piece.

Suspect in a serial robbery case forcibly repatriated from the Philippines to Japan. (Photo by Japan ANN News)

Mainichi reported a case of a single mother who was arrested and is currently on trial for involvement in a dark part-time job. She was raising two disabled children alone after divorcing her husband and, struggling financially, accepted an offer on SNS platforms like Telegram that promised 3 million yen (about 29 million KRW) for merely pretending to commit a robbery, not an actual one.

The person giving instructions said, "Break into the watch shop and pretend to steal watches. We have already arranged a script with the shop owner beforehand to claim insurance money. No actual damage will be done to the store," and instructed her to put the watches into a backpack and run away. At that time, eight people including her participated in the watch shop theft.

However, the promised payment never came. The person who was supposed to deliver the stolen watches claimed, "I was attacked by assailants while delivering them to the higher-ups and lost everything," and the instructor said no payment could be made because the mission was unsuccessful. Only then did she realize she had been exploited and was eventually arrested.

During the investigation, all of them claimed they received instructions from someone called Luffy. This is the same name as the person who ordered the recent serial robberies. Kyoto police are investigating the possible connection.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department explains the term "dark part-time job." They advise suspicion of a dark part-time job if instructed to carry cash or make withdrawals. (Photo by Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department website)

Japanese investigative authorities say that dark part-time jobs have become widespread like a pyramid scheme, making it even harder to trace the masterminds. Recently, cases have emerged where people are not only finding posts on SNS but also being recruited by acquaintances to participate in crimes.

On the previous day, TV Asahi reported that a man in his 30s from Tokyo was arrested after applying for a dark part-time job and impersonating a police officer to withdraw cash from a woman in her 70s. He reportedly stated, "A friend introduced me to a good part-time job."

The criminal methods are becoming increasingly brutal. On the 19th of last month, a woman in her 90s was murdered by an executor suspected to be involved in a dark part-time job at a residence in Tokyo.

The criminal organizations are structured with complex roles such as executors and coordinators who discuss with higher-ups, making eradication difficult. The fact that their base is not in Japan also hinders investigations. Authorities suspect the organization is based in the Philippines, as the calls from the instructors come from Philippine international numbers. Last week, Japanese police forcibly repatriated two Japanese organizers from the Philippines to Japan. However, some suspects are still undergoing trials locally in the Philippines, complicating the investigation. The arrest of Luffy, presumed to be the crime boss, is also facing similar difficulties.

As Japan is gripped by anxiety due to the successive robberies, the government has also taken action. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed at the end of last month to "accelerate thorough investigations and clarifications." Four major telecommunications companies have established guidelines banning posts related to dark part-time jobs. If posts promising high pay without disclosing the nature of the work appear, they will be promptly deleted for users. If the posters do not comply, the companies plan to directly request the site operators to remove such content as a countermeasure.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.