TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police are sounding the alarm after financial losses from tokushu sagi “special fraud” in the capital surged to a staggering 34.4 billion yen in the first half of the year.
The figure represents a massive jump of over 46 percent compared to the same period last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 12).
In a tokushu sagi scam, a person poses on the telephone as a police officer or other person in authority to swindle a victim.
On Wednesday, police revealed that 3,138 cases of such fraud were recorded between January and June, marking a 16.5 percent increase year-on-year. Authorities are warning the public to remain on high alert, as the current pace threatens to eclipse last year’s record-breaking damages.
According to the Tokyo police’s task force on anonymous and fluid criminal groups, social media-based investment scams topped the list of criminal tactics with 793 cases. This was followed closely by fraudsters posing as police officers (709 cases), refund scams (387 cases), and the traditional “ore-ore” (it’s me) telephone scams (358 cases).
Instagram has emerged as a primary hunting ground for scammers. The app was the most common platform used to make initial contact in SNS investment scams, accounting for roughly 21 percent of the total with 164 cases.
Other notable criminal trends include a surge in social media “romance scams,” which are occurring at a faster clip than last year. Furthermore, despite showing a downward trend earlier this year, financial losses from fake police scams spiked again, surpassing last year’s totals for the month of June.
In response to the growing epidemic, police are urging citizens to utilize smartphone applications capable of blocking international phone calls — a common tactic favored by offshore criminal rings. Police are also warning the public to remain highly vigilant of unsolicited investment pitches that attempt to lure victims into social media group chats.
