Man arrested for fraud after 17 years of collecting a deceased mother’s pension
Police in Tokyo arrested a 54-year-old man this week on suspicion of fraudulently collecting pension payments from his deceased mother for 17 years. Fuji TV confirmed that for nearly two decades, the perpetrator is thought to have received 18 million yen.
Police said that Shinichi Ogawa, a part-time worker residing in Koto Ward, was initially arrested from 2015 to 2018 for unlawfully collecting his mother’s pension. For three years, Ogawa got 2.8 million yen.
The Ward Office released a death certificate when Ogawa’s mother died in 2003. But Ogawa lodged a false claim with the Japan Pension Service on an annual basis, concealing the death of his mother in order to continue collecting her pension payments for 17 years. In all, Ogawa got ¥18 million in all.
The case came to light when the Japan Pension Service used the My Number social security card to verify the presence of pensioners and came across Ogawa’s mother’s death certificate.
The police said Ogawa told them he used the money, including utilities and food, for living expenses.
Source: Japan Today
