SHIZUOKA (TR) – A 56-year-old employee at a nursing care facility in Shizuoka City has been swindled out of a staggering 53.9 million yen after falling prey to a sophisticated scammer posing as his company president online, reports TV Asahi (Sep. 27).
The elaborate ruse began on August 3 when the victim received a deceptive email. The sender’s name was displayed as the president of his company, and the message instructed him to set up a Line group for official business communications.
After the victim provided his Line details, he received a message from the faux executive. “There is a payment scheduled for today,” the message read. “Invite the accountant to the group now. I have work instructions.”
Although the man attempted to call his actual boss to confirm the sudden request, he was unable to get through. Bound by professional obligation, he followed the orders and added the “accountant” to the chat.
“We have an upcoming payment of 9.9 million yen,” the scammer demanded next. “I will send the account details, so arrange the transfer now.”
Acting under what he described as a “strange sense of duty,” the victim obediently made four separate wire transfers over a two-hour window, totaling an enormous 53.9 million yen.
The illusion shattered only after the man felt a lingering sense of unease. Upon reviewing the initial email, he noticed a glaring red flag.
“The president’s name was displayed prominently, but the email address itself was completely unrecognizable,” the devastated victim told reporters. “I truly believed it was the president…That’s when I realized I had done something terrible.”
