Japanese firms avoid fake‑CEO fraud schemes in Oita and Ehime

In July, a tourism‑related company in Hita City, Oita Prefecture, received a LINE message from someone claiming to be the company president. The impostor asked the accounting staff to create a private LINE group and then to arrange a ¥30 million transfer. The staff noticed inconsistencies, confirmed the request with the real president by phone, and stopped the payment. Oita police reported 433 special‑fraud cases in the prefecture in 2026, with losses exceeding ¥13.36 billion, and urged companies to consult internally when suspicious messages appear.

In August, a manufacturing firm based in Takamatsu, Kagawa, with a branch in Tokon (Tōon) City, Ehime Prefecture, was targeted by a similar scheme. An employee received an email from a person posing as the company president, was instructed to create an SNS group, and was later told to transfer ¥2 million to a specified account. A female employee complied on August 22, but the transfer was later identified as fraudulent. Police are investigating the case as a special‑fraud incident and advise firms to keep software updated and manage passwords securely. Both incidents highlight the growing “fake‑CEO” scam that exploits corporate messaging platforms to solicit large money transfers.