Japan sees multiple fraud scams costing over ¥30 million and ¥4 million

In Akita Prefecture, a company in the central region was fooled by a fraudster posing as its president. After creating a group LINE chat, the scammers obtained the firm’s bank details and persuaded the company to transfer ¥30 million to a designated account. A separate romance‑type scam in Ōdate city led a man in his twenties to send ¥1.89 million after being told a site administrator would unlock personal data.

In Ehime Prefecture’s Saijō city, a 50‑year‑old truck driver was targeted on social media by individuals claiming to be a woman, a lawyer and a tax accountant. He was convinced to pay ¥17 000 as a “guarantee” and later ¥380 000 for fabricated tax procedures, totaling about ¥4 million. Police are investigating both cases as special fraud and have issued warnings about such online scams.