Fraudsters impersonate hospitals in Yamagata to scam businesses

Fraudsters in Yamagata Prefecture are impersonating hospital officials to conduct specialized telephone scams involving fake cleaning and disinfection contracts. In Yonezawa City, a construction company was defrauded of approximately 4 million yen after a man claiming to be a hospital vice director requested the purchase of 150 bottles of disinfectant and auxiliary chemicals.

The scam typically involves the perpetrator posing as a hospital staff member to request interior renovation work or cleaning services, subsequently asking the victim to purchase specific disinfectants and transfer the funds to a designated bank account in advance. A separate self-employed individual in Yonezawa was also defrauded of 1.95 million yen using a similar method.

Muroi Hospital has issued a warning regarding these suspicious calls, noting that scammers often use the names of real individuals to gain trust. Police have received 31 reports of similar incidents involving real hospitals in Yamagata, Yamagata City, and Tsuruoka City throughout 2026. Authorities advise citizens to verify identities by calling official hospital numbers directly and to never agree to proxy purchases.