Japanese women lose over ¥10 million each in crypto romance scams

A woman in her 40s, employed by a company in Matsuyama, Ehime, was defrauded of about ¥9.57 million after meeting a suitor through a dating app. The suspect persuaded her to invest in a fake cryptocurrency scheme, first sending ¥1.47 million in cash to a fabricated account, then directing her to transfer ¥6.10 million and later an additional ¥2 million in crypto to specified addresses. Police are treating the case as a special fraud investigation and have warned the public to be wary of unsolicited cryptocurrency requests.

In Oita Prefecture, a woman in her 50s fell victim to a similar romance scam. After being contacted on Instagram by someone posing as a foreign man, she exchanged messages on LINE and was convinced to download a trading app. She transferred an initial ¥100,000 in crypto and, after seeing a small profit, sent further amounts, ultimately losing around ¥10.4 million. Local police have reported the incident and advise anyone receiving such requests to suspect fraud.

Both cases illustrate a growing pattern of crypto‑based romance fraud in Japan, prompting law‑enforcement agencies to issue alerts and investigate the perpetrators.