Ex-postal worker arrested for stealing customer's savings in Shizuoka

Thursday 21st August, 05:12 PM JST

SHIZUOKA —

Police on Wednesday arrested a 52-year-old former postal worker for stealing 910,000 yen at a post office in Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Kuniko Yamaguchi, 52, was arrested for allegedly stealing 910,000 yen from a customer’s savings account at her workplace on March 26, 2005. She was fired in June after the customer reported the case to the post office.

Yamaguchi has admitted the allegations and told police that she had also stolen other customers’ money. Police believe she has stolen about 120 million yen from more than 10 customers’ accounts since 1997.

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5 Comments

sensei258 at 07:08 PM JST - 21st August

And they are just now catching her at this?
LIBERTAS at 09:44 PM JST - 21st August

Well, the city of Hamamatsu had a similar incident. A city worker in the Tax Section (no less) took Yen 2m to play Pachinko. This is the link to the Mayor's statement: http://www.city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp/square/room/interview/200806/index.htm (Unfortunately not yet in English.) To their credit, they took him out of his office in irons, on TV! When I say Japan is corrupt, I probably don't even know the half of it.
bamboohat at 10:59 PM JST - 21st August

so, wait, let me get this straight. This kook stole money from a customers account, and the CUSTOMER was the one that turned her in? And the police didn't have a clue about the other ones until she admitted it?

Great work, fellas
OgieDoggie at 02:20 AM JST - 22nd August

Police believe she has stolen about 120 million yen from more than 10 customers’ accounts since 1997.

Will the Post Office pay these people back or are they just out of luck???
OgieDoggie at 02:30 AM JST - 22nd August

another thought on this - since this has been going on since 1997, my question is - DOESN'T ANYONE IN JAPAN CHECK THEIR SAVINGS ACCOUNT from time to time? You would see withdrawals being made that you know you didn't make. Or were these people so rich they don't have to check their savings accounts?