Chinese accused of impersonation to help others cheat on TOEIC
Tokyo police have arrested a Chinese graduate student who is believed to be a central figure in widespread cheating on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC).
Wang Likun, 27, from Kyoto's Sakyo Ward, is accused of trespassing at a TOEIC exam venue in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward by impersonating another test-taker, the Metropolitan Police Department said May 19.
He reportedly admitted to the allegations, saying, 'It is true that I was present at the test venue with an ID card that is different from my real name.'
According to the Nogata Police Station in the capital, the suspect, in a conspiracy with others, entered the venue at 2:50 p.m. on May 18 without a legitimate reason.
The test organizer had contacted police earlier this month, saying, 'Recently, we've been seeing test-takers with the same face photos but different names.'
Police officers were on guard at the venue on May 18 when Wang showed up. He told the reception desk that he had 'forgotten his test ticket.'
When the officers interviewed Wang, he admitted that he was pretending to be someone else. He said he was trying to create a spare admission ticket under a name that was different from the one he had used in previous exams.
Wang also had a small microphone of 3 to 4 centimeters hidden in his mask, police said.
CHEATING 'JOB'
The exam organizers had earlier told police they suspected widespread cheating.
'There has recently been an unusual increase in Chinese people scoring over 900 points (out of 990),' one of them said.
They also reported that one test-taker was muttering in Chinese at the exam venue.
The MPD believes Wang was the mutterer who was revealing correct answers to other Chinese there.
The suspect reportedly said he was looking for part-time work to gain money, and that he found this 'job.'
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the exam-cheating job and who else was involved.
The Nogata Police Station plans to refer Wang to prosecutors on May 20 on suspicion of counterfeiting private seals and documents through his impersonation of another test-taker.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tokyo Reported
20 hours ago
- Tokyo Reported
Chinese ring suspected of using cryptocurrency to launder ¥50 billion in fraud proceeds
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have announced the arrests of five Chinese nationals who are suspected of operating from a base in the capital and using cryptocurrency to launder around 50 billion yen obtained from fraud victims, reports NHK (June 13). According to police, Lin Mingwang, 38, and his accomplices allegedly laundered 80 million yen at the request of an investment fraud group based in Thailand and Vietnam, converted the money into cryptocurrency and then returned it to the fraud group. Police did not reveal whether the suspects admit to violating the Organized Crime Punishment Act. Police believe the group made it difficult to trace the funds by passing them through multiple corporate accounts, as well as cryptocurrency and overseas accounts. Lin Mingwang (X) Lin who is an executive at a real estate company in Adachi Ward. He is said to be the ringleader. Another suspect, 45-year-old Qu Sihao, lives in Kyoto City, Kyot Prefecture. In one case, the suspects received funds into their account from a man in his 70s from Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The man had been swindled on social media by one of the aforementioned investment fraud groups. Lin's ring is believed to have managed approximately 300 corporate accounts. Some of these accounts were provided by Qu. The total amount of funds transferred between the accounts was approximately 50 billion yen. Police are continuing the investigation.
The Mainichi
21 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Tokyo police wary of lone-wolf attacks as election campaigning begins
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Campaigning began Friday for the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election, with the capital's police stepping up measures to thwart possible lone-wolf attacks after incidents involving notable politicians in recent years. Top politicians are set to converge on Tokyo for a close contest seen as a bellwether for the national House of Councillors election this summer, in which the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to struggle. "We are mobilizing the organization's full strength. We cannot create conditions that allow for the 'unexpected,'" a senior official of the Metropolitan Police Department said. Stump speeches are a mainstay of Japanese elections, offering candidates a chance to get their message across and granting voters opportunities to meet their potential representatives. Politicians have been targeted while campaigning in recent years, with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fatally shot during a stump speech in the city of Nara before the 2022 House of Councillors election. During an election-related appearance in Wakayama, also in western Japan, in 2023, an explosive device was hurled toward then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. More recently, a man tried to attack Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's office and the LDP's headquarters while the premier was away campaigning for last October's House of Representatives election. The suspects charged in all of the cases are believed to have acted alone. Since the Abe and Kishida incidents, police have urged campaign organizers to step up security. The senior police official said it is becoming standard for members of the public to face inspections such as bag checks at stump speeches and people have become more cooperative since the high-profile incidents. To ensure security during campaigning in the capital, Tokyo police created a section in April to identify potential lone-wolf attackers by monitoring social media and collating information from other departments. Police also reached agreements with three real estate industry groups in May for the sharing of information about suspicious noises and odors in buildings, after cases in which assailants manufactured weapons and explosives in their apartments. The police will also approach individuals loitering near locations where politicians are scheduled to appear, the official said, adding, "Anyone engaging in suspicious activity will be questioned and asked to have their belongings checked."
Tokyo Reported
a day ago
- Tokyo Reported
Yazuka members concealed gang affiliations for hotel party in Yamanashi
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested five men, including a senior member of the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza syndicate, for staying at a hotel while concealing their gang affiliations. In March 2023, Sumiyoshi-kai executive Kazuyuki Tajima, 53, Utaro Shirai, a 53-year-old member of the quasi-criminal ring Chinese Dragon, and three others are suspected of conspiring with their comrades to make reservations to stay at the hotel in Yamanashi Prefecture. In Yamanashi, gang members are prohibited from staying at hotels. Police did not reveal whether the suspects admit to allegations of fraud. Kazuyuki Tajima of the Sumiyoshi-kai (X) According to police, Tajima and his accomplices also rented out a hotel restaurant for a 'sake ceremony' to form an alliance with individuals believed to be members of the Chinese mafia group 14K. About 30 persons attended. Video footage of the party showed Shirai and other members of Chinese Dragon acting as intermediaries between the gangsters from the two countries. Police are currently investigating the relationship between the two Japanese criminal organizations and the Chinese mafia.
