The number of people taking part in “part-time jobs” – jobs that allow people to work short hours in their free time from work or daily life and receive their wages on the same day – is rapidly increasing. Same-day payment is a popular option, but there have been a series of cases of users being defrauded of their money by the companies that operate intermediary apps that pay wages in advance, and industry groups are wary of this becoming more widespread. According to the Spot Work Association, an organization representing intermediary companies, the total number of people registered with the four major companies and Mercari Halo, which entered the market in March, was about 25 million as of September. The company that operates the intermediary app pays the worker’s salary on the same day and collects a commission plus other fees from the employer who posted the job at the end of the month. This system was abused by people pretending to be employers posting fictitious job openings. Since the end of last year, there have been several confirmed cases of people applying for jobs pretending to be workers, submitting false attendance records to the app, and then having their wages paid in advance. Arrests were also made in Osaka. In early September of this year, the Osaka Prefectural Police arrested four people, including the former manager of a nursing care facility, on suspicion of computer fraud for allegedly defrauding a total of approximately 680,000 yen in cash from the app operator. The four men conspired together, playing the roles of employers and employees. According to investigators, the total amount of damage is believed to be more than 4.3 million yen. A representative of the Spot Work Association said that as a countermeasure, “they are doing everything they can,” such as requiring employers and employees using the app to verify their identity by submitting their My Number card or driver’s license. However, it takes a certain amount of time to detect fraud, and even if an employer is behind on payments at the end of the month, it is not immediately possible to determine whether the delay is due to poor business performance or malicious non-payment, leaving a loophole in the same-day payment system open to the public. Credit checks are also conducted, but there are limitations to the investigation into sole proprietors. A representative from the association explained, “Each business is stepping up patrols to check for employers posting suspicious job offers.” The company also plans to strengthen information sharing within the industry. Timee, a major player in the industry based in Minato Ward, Tokyo, commented on these incidents, saying, “Our top priority is ensuring the safety and security of our users,” and indicated its intention to take measures in line with government and police guidelines. Jiji Press Social Affairs Department Delivered on October 6, 2024 at 08:46.
What do you mean, a “gap in the law”? A fool who mistakenly thought he could take a cut without any risk ended up facing a risk that anyone could foresee.
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