Key Facts
• June 2024: A 35-year-old man in Marugame City listed a smartphone worth $600.
• June 21, 2024: A 23-year-old man from Ichikawa City allegedly posed as a buyer.
• The suspect canceled the transaction after receiving the product but did not return it.
• August 2024: The seller filed a complaint with Marugame Police.
• August 19, 2025: The suspect was arrested in Tochigi Prefecture.
• The suspect had been arrested twice in July 2025 for similar cases.
• The suspect denies the allegations, claiming, “I did not commit fraud.”
Summary
A 23-year-old man from Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, was arrested on August 19, 2025, for allegedly defrauding a smartphone worth $600 through a flea market app. The incident occurred in June 2024 when the suspect posed as a buyer, canceled the transaction after receiving the product, and failed to return it. The seller, a 35-year-old man from Marugame City, reported the case to the police in August 2024. Investigations led to the suspect’s arrest in Tochigi Prefecture. Notably, the suspect had been arrested twice in July 2025 for similar scams. Despite the evidence, the suspect denies the charges, stating, “I did not commit fraud.”
