# Japan and Taiwan combat rising SNS and crypto fraud > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/romance-investment-scams-in-asia > Updated: 2026-09-10T21:00:00.000Z. Sources: 27. Developments: 20. Japanese authorities continue to face a surge in sophisticated fraud, with recent reports highlighting a significant rise in SNS-based romance and impersonation schemes. In Ishikawa Prefecture, SNS-type romance fraud cases reached 40 incidents by late July 2026, with total damages of approximately 297 million yen—nearly double the amount from the same period the previous year. This includes a woman in her 70s losing 15 million yen to an investment scam via a fraudulent site. Impersonation tactics remain a critical threat to elderly citizens. In Akita City, a woman in her 60s lost 11.4 million yen in crypto assets after a caller posing as a postal worker claimed her package contained prohibited items. In Aomori Prefecture, a woman in her 50s was defrauded of 8 million yen by individuals posing as delivery employees and police officers who used video calls to direct her to leave cash in a mailbox. Newer incidents demonstrate the increasing financial scale of these operations. In Shiga Prefecture, a 67-year-old man lost approximately 41 million yen after being targeted on LINE by an individual posing as a Japanese woman. The perpetrator used a scheme involving earning money by taking screenshots of news sites to lure the victim into fraudulent investment opportunities, resulting in 12 separate transfers. Additionally, an individual in Nagasaki Prefecture was defrauded of 6.9 million yen through investment solicitation. In response, police are intensifying awareness campaigns and training sessions for insurance employees to prevent victims from falling prey to ‘dark part-time job’ advertisements and celebrity impersonation scams. ## Claims - As of the end of July, SNS-type romance fraud cases totaled 40 incidents, with damages amounting to approximately 297 million yen. (single source) - The total damage amount is nearly double that of the same period last year. (single source) - A woman in her 70s living in Kaga City was defrauded of approximately 15 million yen following an investment scam initiated via SNS. (single source) - A woman in her 60s in Akita City lost approximately 11.4 million yen worth of crypto assets in a fraud scheme. (single source) - A woman in her 50s in Aomori Prefecture was defrauded of 8 million yen in cash through a scheme involving impersonation of police and delivery services. (single source) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-10: Japan police warn of rising social media romance and investment scams Police in Japan are warning of rising social media scams, including romance and investment fraud, following major losses of 41 million yen in Shiga and 6.9 million yen in Nagasaki. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-police-warn-of-rising-social-media-romance-and-investment-scams ### 2026-09-03: Japanese police launch campaigns against SNS investment and romance scams Japanese police are launching awareness campaigns to combat SNS-driven investment and romance scams, targeting both the general public and corporate employees. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japanese-police-launch-campaigns-against-sns-investment-and-romance-scams ### 2026-08-13: Japan police report rise in SNS romance and impersonation fraud Police in Japan report a surge in fraud, including SNS romance scams in Ishikawa totaling 297 million yen and impersonation schemes in Akita and Aomori costing millions in cash and crypto assets. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-police-report-rise-in-sns-romance-and-impersonation-fraud ### 2026-07-31: Japan police alert after nurse and senior lose ¥52 million in crypto scams Japanese police warn of crypto fraud after a Fuji City nurse lost ¥630 k in Ethereum via a dating app and a 70‑year‑old woman in Okguni, Yamagata lost ¥52.6 million through a phone scam. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-police-alert-after-nurse-and-senior-lose-52-million-in-crypto-scams ### 2026-07-23: Yokote City Woman Defrauded of ¥14.1 million in Online Romance Scam A Yokote City woman lost about ¥14.1 million after an online romance scam involving electronic money and crypto, police said. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/yokote-city-woman-defrauded-of-141-million-in-online-romance-scam ### 2026-07-21: Japanese women lose over ¥10 million each in crypto romance scams Two Japanese women, aged 40‑50, lost ¥9.57 million and ¥10.4 million respectively in crypto romance scams, prompting police fraud alerts in Ehime and Oita. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japanese-women-lose-over-10-million-each-in-crypto-romance-scams ### 2026-07-20: Taiwan police and banks stop fraud schemes, safeguarding victims Taiwan police halted a gift‑card scam, saving a victim’s NT$10,000, while a police‑bank partnership stopped 4,000 fraud attempts worth NT$5.5 billion, underscoring enhanced anti‑fraud coordination. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/taiwan-police-and-banks-stop-fraud-schemes-safeguarding-victims ### 2026-07-16: Taiwan police seize fraud networks, stop dozens of scams Taiwan police dismantled fraud networks, halting 218 scams and saving NT$1.13 bn, while arrests were made in AI‑video and money‑laundering scams; similar fraud also hit victims in Japan. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/taiwan-fraud-group-uses-aigenerated-video-to-steal-17-million-yen-from-japanese-senior ### 2026-07-14: Japan police arrest seniors fraud suspects in two major scams Japanese police arrested a former insurance agent and leaders of a fraud group for defrauding seniors of roughly ¥240 million in two separate schemes. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-police-arrest-seniors-fraud-suspects-in-two-major-scams ### 2026-07-13: Japanese men lose millions in online romance and fake‑job scams Japanese men were duped by online scams promising high payouts for sperm donation, fake side‑jobs or crypto investments, losing a total of over ¥20 million across Hokkaido, Ehime and Ōita. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japanese-men-lose-millions-in-online-romance-and-fakejob-scams ### 2026-07-10: Japan sees two special fraud cases: 51 million‑yen romance crypto scam and 1 million‑yen police‑impersonation theft In Japan, a Shimane woman lost about ¥51 million in a crypto romance scam, while an Aomori man was defrauded of ¥1 million by callers posing as police. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-sees-two-special-fraud-cases-51-millionyen-romance-crypto-scam-and-1-millionyen-policeimperson ### 2026-07-08: Japan sees rise in fake police and post office scams targeting residents Japanese authorities warned of scams impersonating police and postal workers after a 70‑year‑old in Niigata lost ¥5.25 M and a Kitakyushu resident received similar fraudulent calls. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-sees-rise-in-fake-police-and-post-office-scams-targeting-residents ### 2026-07-07: Fukui man defrauded of 110 million yen in cryptocurrency scam A 70‑year‑old man in Fukui, Japan, was duped by callers posing as NTT staff and prosecutors into sending about 110 million yen in cryptocurrency after printing fake documents, prompting a police special‑fraud ( 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/fukui-man-defrauded-of-110-million-yen-in-cryptocurrency-scam ### 2026-07-07: Japan police probe cryptocurrency investment scams that duped two women of over ¥1.8 million Japanese police are probing two crypto frauds that stole ¥5.3 million from a woman in Awara and ¥12.8 million from a woman in Fukuoka, both lured by social‑media investment promises. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-police-probe-cryptocurrency-investment-scams-that-duped-two-women-of-over-18-million ### 2026-07-02: Japan police warn of SNS investment scams defrauding victims of millions Three Japanese fraud cases: a Toyama woman lost ¥60 million to an SNS investment scam; a Kitakyushu man was duped by email to buy e‑money cards; an Aomori woman lost ¥500,000 in a crypto job‑offer scam. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-warns-of-sns-investment-scams-that-have-defrauded-victims-of-millions ### 2026-07-01: Japan police target influencer impersonation scams and illegal investment ads Japan re‑arrests 13 men for influencer‑impersonation fraud (~¥6.5 bn loss) and adds fake celebrity investment ads and remittance‑bounty offers to illegal‑content removal rules. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-police-target-influencer-impersonation-scams-and-illegal-investment-ads ### 2026-06-30: Japan sees rise in youth side‑job scams, 122 complaints reported Ishikawa reports a 20% rise in youth side‑job scam complaints, with 122 cases, high‑value contracts and increased borrowing among those under 30. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-sees-rise-in-youth-sidejob-scams-122-complaints-reported ### 2026-06-25: Japan sees multiple fraud scams costing over ¥30 million and ¥4 million Two Japanese fraud incidents saw a company lose ¥30 million and a truck driver lose ¥4 million after scammers posed as officials and a romantic partner. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-reports-multiple-online-fraud-scams-costing-victims-millions-of-yen ### 2026-06-23: Japan warns of rising SNS investment scams targeting middle‑aged earners Japan reports record SNS investment fraud in 2025 with 9,523 cases and ¥1.3 trillion losses, while a man was re‑arrested in Fukuoka over COVID‑test kit fraud. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-reports-surge-in-sns-investment-fraud-targeting-4050-year-olds ### 2026-06-17: Japan sees increase in SNS romance and investment scams targeting men In Japan, a 40‑year‑old man in Kochi lost ¥400,000 to a romance‑gold scam, and a 60‑year‑old man in Iwate lost ¥22 million to a crypto investment fraud; police warn against online money offers. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/japan-sees-increase-in-sns-romance-and-investment-scams-targeting-men --- Cite as: Japan and Taiwan combat rising SNS and crypto fraud. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/romance-investment-scams-in-asia