Photo/Illutration The Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Tokyo police have arrested seven people in connection with an elaborate scam that allowed 1,400 foreigners without work visas to pose as food delivery drivers.

The Metropolitan Police Department announced the arrests July 25 of Kotaro Yamazaki, 51, a company executive and six others, including a 28-year-old Vietnamese man.

The suspects are believed to have netted about 54 million yen ($366,000) from the scam that targeted the Demae-can food delivery service company from as far back as 2022.

The operation centered on the illegal transfer of delivery accounts. Foreigners from six nations, including Uzbekistan and Vietnam, were hoodwinked by Yamazaki and the others, according to the police.

The seven suspects conspired between Sept. 23 and Oct. 1 last year to have a 30-year-old Japanese man apply for and receive a Demae-can account knowing full well it would be used by a Vietnamese.

Yamazaki and his conspirators also used social media to publicize moonlighting opportunities and asked Japanese applicants to “lend” their Demae-can accounts. The Japanese individual received 20,000 yen as a “matching fee” if a foreigner was found to use the account and make deliveries.

Yamazaki’s group also cooperated with a broker who gathered foreigners. The broker received 5,000 yen every month from the delivery fees paid by Demae-can to the Japanese owner of the account. The Japanese owner also received 20,000 yen a month for lending the account.

Any money left over in the account for that month was paid to the foreigner who actually made the deliveries.

An official with Demae-can told The Asahi Shimbun the company was considering legal action against the group.

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