Phony Magician Cons Diners

Here's a weird story I haven't seen reported anywhere else. The article says similar incidents have happened at least nine times in Naha, Okinawa.

The latest incident Sunday had the man eat a ¥5,000 meal, then tell other customers “I’m a magician and would like to show my magic. Can I borrow ¥10,000 yen in paper money?” People gave him ¥30,000, and he went through the motion of performing. Suddenly, he declared “Oh, sorry, I can’t” and then raced out of the restaurant.

Sounds like a good scam to me, but I don't think it would fly anywhere except in Japan.
"Nobody here knows me, but I'm a magician. Now please give me hundreds of dollars. Thank you."

When the pickings are that easy, it makes the three-card monte seem like waaay too much work.