Japanese firm offers 'fake friends' service
Tokyo-based company offers friends for hire at £127 a pop
Tokyo-based company offers friends for hire at £127 a pop
Tokyo-based company Office Angels has identified a niche in the marketplace, renting out friends, work colleagues and relatives to bump up numbers at private and professional events.
Top of the client list are brides or grooms who are feeling insecure about the number of wedding guests on their list and want to pad out the numbers. Also seeking out the company's services are people who have been made redundant or who do temp work but want to give family and friends the illusion of a busy, important working life by hiring fake colleagues or even bosses.
Fake friends don't come cheap. Hiring one of the company's agents for a wedding costs £127. Dancing and singing will cost an extra £32, while an emotional speech will set you back £64.
Company boss Hiroshi Mizutani outlined to the Telegraph the necessary credentials for a convincing fake friend: 'They are cheery and clean and look like they have regular jobs.' CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEWS STORIES
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