Reports of the latest sophisticated fraud schemes
Impersonation of celebrities for investment scams
There have been reports of scammers posing as famous personalities like Akira Ikegami, Takuro Morinaga, and Yusaku Maezawa to lure victims into investment scams. They even use AI-generated voices to make the impersonation more convincing.
International romance scams
Scammers disguise themselves as foreigners or Japanese people living abroad, exploiting romantic emotions and a sense of familiarity to deceive victims into transferring money. The international element makes it difficult to meet in person, making online payments seem natural.
Police impersonation scams
There has been a surge in scams where fraudsters pose as police officers. They use sophisticated methods, such as disguising their phone numbers to appear as if they are calling from a police station (with a number ending in 0110).
Online sales scams
Reports have surfaced of scams where victims are lured in with promises of profitable online sales, only to be deceived and have their money stolen.
Increase in refund scams
As of May 2024, there has been a significant increase in refund scams reported in Hyogo Prefecture.
Investment scams exploiting group chats on LINE
In April 2024, there was a surge in investment scam cases where scammers abused group chats on LINE to deceive victims.