Shizuoka Police report fraud targeting man with fake 1.2 billion yen prize

A man in his 20s living in Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, was targeted by a scam involving a fraudulent notification of a 1.2 billion yen prize. According to the Shizuoka Prefectural Police, the victim received a short message on his smartphone claiming he had won the large sum.

Following instructions from a website linked to the message, the man attempted to pay a required “deposit” to receive the funds. He purchased electronic money cards at a convenience store on three separate occasions and provided the card numbers to the scammers, resulting in a loss of approximately 15,000 yen. The victim contacted the police after the promised funds failed to arrive.