Shizuoka Police Train Gas Company Staff on Fake Police Phone Scam

On July 6, the Shizuoka Prefectural Police staged a training exercise with five Shizuoka Gas Co. employees aged 20‑50, simulating a “fake police” telephone fraud. Officers posing as police called the workers' private smartphones, claimed they were suspects, directed them to a messaging app, and attempted to obtain a bank transfer using video‑call evidence and forged documents. The drill was intended to deepen staff understanding of the scam technique and enable them to inform customers.

Separately, Ageo city councilor Eriko Sato in Saitama reported being targeted twice in July by callers claiming to be police. Having previously fallen victim to a similar scam, she recognized the tactics, questioned the callers, and avoided sending money, later alerting police to a surge in such fraud attempts nationwide.