Japan fraud victims lose over 30 million yen to phone scams

Multiple cases of specialized telephone fraud have been reported in Japan, targeting elderly individuals through impersonation.

In Myoko City, a woman in her 70s was defrauded of over 20 million yen. Scammers posing as her son claimed his bank account was frozen by the National Tax Agency and required payment to be released. The victim sent cash via courier services in multiple installments and also provided electronic money codes after being contacted by individuals claiming to be lawyers.

In Omihachiman City, a 76-year-old woman lost approximately 10 million yen to scammers. The perpetrators initially contacted her while posing as postal workers, claiming she was involved in a criminal investigation. They subsequently used LINE to impersonate police officers and prosecutors, instructing her to transfer funds to designated accounts while advising her not to use bank counters for the transactions.