AICHI (TR) – An octogenarian here has been fleeced out of approximately 870 million yen in a sophisticated social media investment scam.
The case marks the highest financial loss from a tokushu sagi (specialized fraud) case ever recorded in the prefecture, reports the Yomiuru Shimbum (May 20).
According to investigative sources, the victim’s ordeal began earlier this year when he clicked on an online investment advertisement falsely utilizing the name of a famous celebrity. The ad redirected him to the messaging app Line, where he was put in contact with a fraud ring.
Following their instructions, the man installed a bogus “investment app” on his device. Between then and May, he was manipulated into repeatedly transferring massive sums of money to designated bank accounts.
In addition to wire transfers, the elderly victim also handed over physical cash and gold bullion, with his total losses ballooning to roughly 870 million yen.
The victim was kept in the dark about the con for months because the fraudulent app continuously displayed fake, soaring profits, severely delaying his realization that he was being robbed blind.
The case highlights a staggering nationwide spike in social media-driven financial crimes. According to the National Police Agency, provisional data shows 9,538 cases of SNS-based investment scams were recorded recently, with total damages soaring to an unprecedented 127.4 billion yen as criminal syndicates increasingly weaponize celebrity likenesses to lure unsuspecting targets.
