Japan sees rise in youth side‑job scams, 122 complaints reported

In Ishikawa prefecture, complaints about side‑job scams rose 20% last year, reaching 122 cases filed with the prefectural consumer‑life counseling office. The average contract value was ¥147,300, and six contracts exceeded ¥5 million. Young people were heavily affected: 48 of the complaints came from those aged 29 or younger, and 29.2% of youths had taken out consumer‑finance loans compared with 18.9% overall.

Scams involved promises of easy earnings, forced high‑value contracts, alleged breach‑of‑contract penalties, and even demands to install screen‑sharing apps that led to personal data leaks. Authorities warned residents not to trust “easy money” promises and urged the use of the consumer hotline 188 for assistance.