Man suspected of sending phishing emails from Kobe hotel

Police suspect a 39-year-old Chinese national who lives in Kobe of trespassing and obstructing business by deception. According to police, in May 2025 he and others set up a computer in a Kobe hotel room and used the hotel’s Wi-Fi to send large numbers of phishing emails posing as credit card companies.

About 2.4 million email addresses and a record of roughly 480,000 sent emails were found on the seized computer. The man is also suspected of fraudulently purchasing goods, including down jackets, worth about 470,000 yen using other people’s credit card details. Police have not said whether he admits to the allegations. They believe other people were involved in the case and are continuing their investigation.

Translation editors: Соловьев В., Пеков А.