A 25-year-old woman who identified herself as a “sugar baby” has been sentenced to nine years in prison for defrauding multiple men she met on dating apps. She managed to scam them out of over $1 million and even went as far as selling a manual that detailed how to carry out similar scams.
Mai Watanabe, popularly known as “sugar baby Riri,” or “itadaki joshi Riri-chan” in Japanese, received her sentencing from the Nagoya District Court on Monday, as reported by The Japan Times.
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According to the news outlet, Watanabe was also imposed a fine of 8 million yen, which amounts to approximately $52,000.
The Nippon news agency reported that Watanabe has been found guilty of defrauding three men in their 50s. The total amount of money involved in the scam is approximately 55.8 million yen, which is equivalent to around $1 million. The fraudulent activities took place between 2021 and 2023.
According to the Kyodo news agency, she managed to deceive one victim into giving her 117 million yen, approximately $756,000, by persuading him that the funds were necessary to settle a debt. The report also mentions that she employed a similar tactic to defraud the other two men.
According to Nippon, Watanabe utilized the majority of the funds to settle payments at male host clubs located in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district.
In these clubs, women pay for the company of men and are often served drinks and flirted with by male hosts.
According to the court’s ruling, Kyodo reported that Watanabe was found guilty of not only engaging in fraudulent activities but also of creating a manual that detailed the steps to carry out similar scams.
According to the Jiji Press news agency, she allegedly sold the manual to a 21-year-old woman in 2022, enabling her to deceive someone out of approximately 10 million yen, equivalent to slightly over $64,000.
Watanabe, according to the news agency, has been found guilty of evading income tax by concealing approximately 25% of the scam’s profits.
Being a sugar baby can be a financially rewarding experience. According to a freelance writer who shared her story with Business Insider, she was paid as much as $500 for dates and enjoyed perks such as designer clothes, lavish dinners, and stays in luxurious hotels.
Sugar daddies, older men who financially support younger women, often find that it provides them with a sense of companionship, be it platonic or romantic.
However, if individuals are not cautious, they run the risk of becoming victims of romance scams.
In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission in the US was flooded with a staggering 64,003 reports of romance scams. These deceitful acts resulted in victims suffering total losses exceeding $1.1 billion.
According to the FTC, individuals who fell victim to imposter scams experienced a median loss of $2,000 per person. This amount is significantly higher compared to other types of imposter scams.
In 2023, the commission reported that the majority of individuals (approximately 60%) who fell victim to a romance scam had initially connected with the scammer through social media platforms, websites, or apps.
