# Phishing scams targeting Japanese tax and police agencies

> Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/phishing-scams-targeting-japanese-tax-and-police-agencies
> Updated: 2026-11-08T03:00:00.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2.

Fraudulent email campaigns have been identified in Japan impersonating the National Tax Agency (NTA) and the Police Headquarters. The NTA-themed scams use urgent language regarding income tax refunds to trick recipients into downloading a fake Android version of the e-Tax app. Investigations found that these links lead to domains unrelated to the NTA. 

Additionally, scammers have sent messages mimicking official traffic violation notices from the police to prompt users to download suspicious PDF files. In response, the NTA has issued warnings clarifying that official agencies do not use email to demand urgent procedures, request payments, or prompt app downloads.

## Timeline

### 2026-11-08: Japan National Tax Agency issues fraud warnings and tax compliance advice

Japan's National Tax Agency warns of phishing scams impersonating e-Tax, while experts share insights on avoiding common tax filing errors and detecting evasion.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-national-tax-agency-issues-fraud-warnings-and-tax-compliance-advice

### 2026-10-27: Phishing scams impersonating Japanese National Tax Agency and police

Phishing scams impersonating Japan's National Tax Agency and police are targeting users with fake tax refund and traffic violation notices to induce malicious downloads.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/phishing-scams-impersonating-japanese-national-tax-agency-and-police

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Cite as: Phishing scams targeting Japanese tax and police agencies. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/phishing-scams-targeting-japanese-tax-and-police-agencies