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More Japan Elderly Conned To Buy Goods
The Washington Times
July 12, 2004
Tokyo, Japan, Jul. 12 (UPI) -- Consumer fraud of the elderly in Japan has more than tripled in the last five years, the government said Monday.
The Citizens Life Center, the government agency to address consumer complaints, said the number of elderly being conned into buying products they don't need or priced exorbitantly has reached more than 46,000 in the past six months.
It said the biggest cons were for water purifiers that don't work and for futon mattresses that are overpriced. Some elderly have been conned into buying so many items they don't need, they take out loans they cannot repay.
Kenji Utsunomiya, a lawyer specializing in consumer loan issues, said that businesses that deliberately target old people could be charged with fraud and extortion, so victims should try to seek legal protection as soon as possible.
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