Japan police alert after nurse and senior lose ¥52 million in crypto scams

Police in Japan disclosed two recent cryptocurrency fraud cases. In Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, a male nurse in his 40s was persuaded through a matching app to transfer about ¥630,000 worth of Ethereum to an unknown address between June and July 2026. His wife discovered the activity while checking his smartphone, prompting the victim to report the matter to authorities.

In Okguni, Yamagata Prefecture, a woman in her 70s was contacted by phone and email with a promise to return money allegedly lost to a special fraud. She was asked to send cryptocurrency to a specified address and, over several transactions, transferred roughly ¥52.6 million. After the investment firm became unreachable, she realized she had been scammed. Both incidents have led police to warn the public that offers of cryptocurrency investment or recovery through social‑media or phone contacts are likely fraud.