Kazuno woman defrauded of 180,000 yen by EXILE impersonators

A woman in her 30s living in Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, has fallen victim to a specialized fraud involving the impersonation of members from the popular music group EXILE. The victim lost a total of 180,000 yen in electronic money.

According to police, the incident began on August 17 when the woman was followed and messaged on Instagram by an account posing as TAKAHIRO. Believing the messages were genuine, she was prompted to purchase a ‘paid fan card,’ leading her to send 70,000 yen worth of electronic money codes. Subsequently, she was targeted by another account impersonating Takanori Iwata, resulting in an additional loss of 110,000 yen.

The fraud was discovered on August 23 when a convenience store clerk grew suspicious of the woman's attempt to purchase more electronic money and alerted the authorities. The Kazuno Police Station is currently investigating the matter as a specialized fraud case.