Nonagenarian in Japan Outwits Suspected Scammer

People make their way at a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan,October 23, 2026. (Reuters)

10:15-26 October 2026 AD ـ 15 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

People make their way at a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan,October 23, 2026. (Reuters)

A 93-year-old woman in western Japan outsmarted a suspected scammer by pretending to fall for the scheme and helping police arrest him at her home, an officer told AFP on Monday.

Japan has the second-oldest population in the world after Monaco, and senior citizens are often targeted by fraudsters, who last year collectively stole around 325.7 billion yen ($2.0 billion) from their victims.

The woman, who lives in the Shiga region, received telephone calls from Wednesday through Thursday last week from a man who claimed to be a police officer.

The caller falsely informed her that her bank account had experienced an unauthorized withdrawal.

The woman was told to hand over her ATM card to a man, posing as a police officer, who would visit her so that authorities could verify her account.

Suspecting a scam, the woman consulted her son and the police as she waited for the scammer to visit her house.

"The person's family reached out to the police on Wednesday evening, and we were able to have officers at her house" before the scammer arrived on Thursday, a local police official told AFP on customary condition of anonymity.

When a 47-year-old man appeared at her doorstep, waiting officers arrested him on the spot, he said.

"The person (the woman) is someone in good health and highly articulate," the official said, while urging other elderly residents consult family members when they suspect fraud.

Buses Out, Shoppers In: London’s Oxford Street Goes Traffic-Free

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan poses for the media in Oxford Street as it becomes traffic-free and pedestrianized in London, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP)

11:14-26 October 2026 AD ـ 15 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Buses Out, Shoppers In: London’s Oxford Street Goes Traffic-Free

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan poses for the media in Oxford Street as it becomes traffic-free and pedestrianized in London, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP)

Part ‌of London's Oxford Street, Britain's busiest shopping thoroughfare, went permanently traffic-free on Monday in an effort to revitalize the area and create a new public space to boost economic growth.

An almost 1-km (0.6-mile) section of Oxford Street between the Selfridges and IKEA stores is now closed to buses, cars, taxis, cycles, scooters and pedicabs, the office of London Mayor Sadiq Khan said.

The move has been more than two decades in the making. It and a wider ‌regeneration project ‌aim to put Oxford Street back among ‌top ⁠global shopping destinations ⁠including New York's Times Square, Paris' Champs-Élysées and Barcelona's La Rambla.

"After so many false dawns, and now working with a government who share the scale of my ambition, I’m proud that we’re finally unlocking a new era for the street," Khan said.

"Revitalizing Oxford Street will ⁠boost jobs and economic growth in the capital."

Oxford ‌Street, connected to Bond ‌Street and Regent Street and home to John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, ‌Tiffany & Co and many others, has struggled since the ‌COVID pandemic, with the arrival of US candy stores putting off many shoppers.

The pedestrianization is the first stage of a transformation, although minimal construction will take place during the run-up to ‌Christmas, a busy shopping period.

Plans for 2027 include more than 50 new trees, ⁠100 ⁠new seats, two public squares, rest areas and better signage and lighting.

Oxford Street attracts around half a million visitors every day, according to the mayor's office, but many flagship stores, including House of Fraser and Topshop, have shut in recent years, and Khan said the area had been neglected.

"This marks an exciting new chapter for Oxford Street, creating a greener, more vibrant place that will attract visitors and investment, support businesses and jobs, and drive growth in the heart of our capital," British housing, communities and local government minister Angela Rayner said.

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