People in Japan were swindled out of a record-high amount of money in romance and investment scams on social media in 2024, with the number of cases more than doubling from the previous year, police data showed Thursday.
Scammers stole some 126.8 billion yen, up 81.3 billion yen from 2023, according to preliminary figures released by the National Police Agency.
The number of investment scams jumped to 6,380, up 4,109, while romance scams surged to 3,784, up 2,209.
Crimes described as "special fraud" cases, including those involving scammers posing as police investigators, netted a record high 72.2 billion yen, up 59.4 percent, data showed.
The number of special fraud cases increased by 10.2 percent from the previous year to 20,987. In about 80 percent of instances, the victims were contacted on the phone, with most calls coming from overseas.
Online bank accounts were used in all social media-linked scams as well as most of the special fraud cases, as they allow larger amounts to be transferred compared to ATMs. Online transactions are also more difficult to detect.
Police are warning the public to be wary of people who strongly urge them to open or use online bank accounts and are also asking financial institutions to introduce monitoring systems to detect fraudulent transactions.
The number of criminal offenses investigated in 2024, including fraud, increased for a third consecutive year, totaling 737,679.
© KYODO
13 Comments
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sakurasuki
So old people no longer main target now, before ore-ore is the main one.
Some dude
I can help you to avoid falling victim to these scammers. Send me a million yen to the following paypal account...
travelbangaijin
Only in Japan where the people don't speak to each other, but on the phone or online talking to a scammer giving the scammer a full conversation and the cash out of their savings.
diobrando
As said above, the lack of communication in families and especially common sense are the main reason.
On the other side, banks have also a responsability. If you transfer high amount they should check....
once I sent money to the wrong person and right away ask to cancel it, they argue they cant do nothing and had to ask to the receiver to send me back the amount.
commanteer
If you are using Paypal, then you are the one getting scammed.
dbsaiya
Where does this rank in the world per capita?
WoodyLee
Blame it on the Police, city office, and community leaders for NOT doing what they should have done 2 or 3 years ago about scammers phone calls and E Mails and contacts. Education is the first line of defense, not a single meeting or letter was called or send to my area warning people these scammers and the methods they use.
Japan was a very safe place and still is but these safe rules are FADING fast as more and more scammers target Japan because it is WIDE OPEN with zero alerts.
commanteer
This is a global problem, though Japan might be an easier target because it is a very high-trust society. That said, people in low trust societies are also getting scammed. Lonely or desperate people will always be susceptible. All anybody has to do is let their guard down for even a minute, and scammers are getting very sophisticated with the aid of AI. Recently, I have noticed very targeted messages, such as "about your new car (with specific model name)". These are sent out widely, but perhaps one in 1000 of the recipients has just bought that same car, and will not think twice about opening the message or attachment. If 100,000 of these messages are sent, that's 100 people who might fall for it. And a new car many indicate they have money.
リッチ
A fool and their money are soon separated.
many are in get rich quick schemes which means they are not clean hands either. When people expect to earn larger sums of money without work it’s also a scam.
リッチ
By the way. Pasmo and Suica are the largest fraud cards in Japan based on DBS Bank Singapore. They block the payment method in Apple Pay and their credit cards because of it. That didn’t get in and I’m surprised
WoodyLee
wallace
Unwanted emails go into a trash folder, but I check for regular emails by mistake. Emails can be opened but not responded to if from an unknown contact. Banks and credit card companies never send emails asking for account details.
Educate elderly family members about scams. Put a withdrawal limit on their bank accounts.
Yrral
Othani thief get 5 years