Osaka Prefectural Police arrested 41 people over allegedly swindling three women via a social media scam that is believed to have ultimately defrauded about 2,300 people across Japan of about ?650 million ($4.05 million) in total last year.

Police searched several bases used by the group and arrested company executive Shingo Matsumura, 29, of Osaka¡¯s Yodogawa Ward, who is believed to be a ringleader, along with 40 others on suspicion of fraud. Police have not disclosed whether the suspects have admitted to the allegations.

According to the police department¡¯s special fraud investigation division, the group bought social media accounts with large followings from brokers and used them to impersonate real influencers to solicit victims. In the scam, victims were told they could earn large sums through a side job if they first paid for training courses.

Investigators searched multiple locations, including a building in the city of Suita, Osaka Prefecture, and seized more than 1,000 items, including smartphones and computers. Police are working to uncover the full scope of the operation.

The suspects are accused of defrauding three women in Osaka Prefecture of about ?880,000 in total between November last year and March. They allegedly told the women through social media that they could earn a lot of money if they followed instructions from lecturers about affiliate marketing, a system where rewards are earned based on results such as product purchases made by viewers.

Police said the group claimed their income would rise in tandem with the number of social media followers. Members of the scam group also allegedly posed as beauty and cooking influencers and posted messages such as, ¡°I got more followers because I took this course.¡±

Victims who applied for the course were sent manuals that contained some information on how to increase their follower count, but police said the materials lacked any meaningful content.

Translated by The Japan Times