Photo/Illutration Executives of Kinki Nippon Tourist Co. and KNT-CT Holdings Co. apologize for overcharging local governments for work related to COVID-19 vaccinations at a news conference in Tokyo on Aug. 9. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Cases that have been reported overseas indicate the universality of crimes that exploit people’s dread of COVID-19.

These range from fraudulent sales of fake novel coronavirus vaccines and testing kits to selling certificates for negative test results on the black market, and robberies under the guise of being a disinfecting house cleaning service.

With infections continuing after numerous waves, law enforcement authorities around the world are busy dealing with COVID-related offenses.

One crime found worldwide is fraud that exploits government’s COVID-relief programs, with con artists defrauding their governments of unemployment benefits and special loans.

This is the result of adopting a self-reporting system for applying for benefits. The purpose was to ensure speedy payments, but it rendered the screening system quite lax.

In the United States, the sheer volume of cases proved too much for investigators to handle, and President Joe Biden signed bills to extend the statute of limitations for COVID-related fraud cases from five to 10 years.

The British government has taken the position that since COVID-relief funds come from tax revenues, making fraudulent claims is an affront to taxpayers. Under this understanding, the government founded a special taxpayer protection team comprising taxation experts.

The team has recovered about 140 billion yen ($949 million) over the last two years. However, recovering the entire defrauded amount is considered impossible.

In Japan, cases of fraud continue coming to light.

A former branch manager of major travel agency Kinki Nippon Tourist Co. and two others have been charged with fraud. At the first court hearing on Sept. 20, they all pled guilty to overcharging fees at call centers for COVID vaccinations.

They allegedly inflated the bills by as much as 220 million yen by padding the number of operators employed, among other tricks.

The accused obviously deserve to be held criminally accountable. But as a taxpayer, I wish that the authorities would also do their best to recover the money.

Prefectural governments revoked payments of more than 20 billion yen in subsidies for a program that provides free PCR tests.

For a program to aid small and midsize businesses, some have voluntarily returned their benefits and more are expected to follow.

Applications for benefits should be strictly screened. Still, to help people who are in dire need by quickly giving them the benefits, we want to believe that humans are fundamentally good. 

It’s sad that this doesn’t always hold true.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 22

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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