The Metropolitan Police Department issues a warning after a number of part-time workers bring in fake gold-plated necklaces in various locations.

Since June, there have been a number of underground part-time jobs in various places where people are forced to bring fake "gold necklaces" to pawnshops. The gold-plated mineral, which has a specific gravity close to that of 18-karat gold, is used, and police are warning buyers and others to be careful.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Anonymous and Mobile Crime Group Task Force, a man in his 60s in Tokyo applied for a part-time job bringing gold necklaces to pawnshops through X (formerly Twitter). The man received the necklace from a man in Tokyo and took it to a nearby pawn shop.

The man gave the man the cash he had earned from selling the necklace, and in return received an hourly wage of 2,000 yen and transportation expenses. The man is said to have taken necklaces he received from other men to pawnshops multiple times in Chiba and Saitama.

However, this necklace was not made of gold, but a fake gold-plated mineral called tantalum. The man was asked to return the money by the pawnshop, and in August he went to the police.

It is said that damage caused by this method has been confirmed at purchasing companies in eight prefectures since June. The Metropolitan Police Department is calling on buyers to have the necklaces analyzed using specialized equipment, including component testing.

They also urge people to be careful not to apply for dark part-time jobs. It is said that there were cases in which applicants were forced to send photos of their faces by the criminals, and added, ``Even if you are threatened, I hope you will muster up the courage to go to the police.''