TOKYO - Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department has released a warning video highlighting the dangers of illegal part-time jobs advertised on social media, showing how young people can be drawn into organized crime through promises of easy money before being threatened with violence if they attempt to escape.
The video, produced by the department's Tokuryu Countermeasures Headquarters, follows a man in his 20s who searches for work through social media. After responding to an advertisement, he is directed to another messaging application, where he begins communicating with an unidentified recruiter.
Initially, the man accepts what appears to be a simple assignment involving nothing more than delivering a package. He subsequently receives a payment of 50,000 yen, reinforcing his belief that the work is legitimate and financially rewarding.
Encouraged by the payment, he accepts an offer of another assignment promising even higher earnings and travels to a designated location.
However, the situation takes an unexpected turn when he discovers that the actual job involves helping to carry out a robbery.
Realizing the danger, the man panics and attempts to hide. Threatening messages immediately begin arriving on his phone, including one warning, "Do you really think you can escape?"
The intimidation escalates when he answers a telephone call, leading to his capture and a violent assault.
The video illustrates how criminal groups use apparently harmless jobs and initial payments to gain the trust of recruits before involving them in serious offenses. It also depicts the threats and physical violence that can follow when participants attempt to withdraw.
Tokuryu refers to loosely organized criminal groups whose members operate anonymously and frequently change their identities and associations. Such groups have become a focus of police efforts to combat crimes involving recruits obtained through social media.
The Metropolitan Police Department said it hopes the video will help the public understand the true dangers of becoming involved with Tokuryu groups and is urging people to avoid suspicious job offers that promise easy money.
Source: FNN
