Japanese police are stepping up efforts to crack down on illegal part-time jobs

Japanese police are stepping up efforts against social media posts that recruit people for suspicious part-time jobs, responding to the posts with warnings.

There has been a recent spate of robberies and other crimes in Japan, the perpetrators of which are believed to have been recruited through such advertisements.

The National Police Agency’s Second Organized Crime Unit is monitoring similar posts online.

On Friday, police found multiple suspicious messages containing phrases such as “part-time job with same-day pay” and “simple, easy and high pay.”

The NPA and 30 prefectural police departments place warnings in post threads. The warnings read: “It is assumed that this post is intended to recruit individuals to participate in crimes. Those involved may be arrested and face criminal penalties such as prison” or “You are unlikely to receive any reward and will be exploited as a disposable employee.”

Police say these messages are intended to discourage people interested in a vague part-time job. They also aim to warn criminal groups that the police know about their entries.

Police said they responded to more than 34,000 suspicious posts last year.

However, criminal groups often change the phrases and accounts they use, forcing police to adapt their tactics.

NPA officer Aota Tomoko says the ads, which do not provide details of the job offer and lead applicants to an encrypted application, are likely recruiting for dubious part-time positions.

He warns that anyone who accepts this job will be exploited until they are arrested.