Crime Romance scams on the rise in Japan

Romance scams in Japan have surged dramatically this year, prompting the Japanese police to call for increased vigilance. The NPA reported a staggering 3,326 romance scam cases in the first eleven months of the year, a more than twofold increase compared to the same period in 2023. This surge in scams has also resulted in substantial financial losses for victims, with reported damages exceeding JPY 34.6 billion (USD 220.2 million) in the first eleven months of 2024, significantly surpassing the JPY 15.3 billion recorded during the same period in 2023.


Rika Sawamura, owner of a beauty salon, fell victim to a romance scam in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. She met a seemingly charming man from South Korea on Instagram and quickly developed a romantic relationship with him. The scammer, posing as a successful businessman, manipulated Sawamura into investing JPY 20m in cryptocurrency, claiming it would help her recover her past financial losses. He convinced her to invest more and promised her a brighter future together. However, the entire affair turned out to be fraudulent, and Sawamura lost all her savings, money she intended to invest in her children's education.

Sawamura's plight highlights the devastating impact of romance scams:

thomas said:

...South Korea...

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hmm, maybe actshully north korea?

"It Felt Like an Affair... My Heart Was Racing": Sharp Rise in Romance Scams Impersonating Korean Celebrities This Year [News23]｜TBS NEWS DIG
"Romance Scams Preying on Love: A Victim's Heart-Racing Affair"｜TBS NEWS DIG

Scammers are increasingly exploiting people's emotions through social media romance scams, tricking them into handing over large sums of money. Victims describe the scams as cleverly orchestrated, with one saying, "They had countless ways to make me fall in love."

"It Felt Like an Affair... My Heart Was Racing" – A Woman in Her 50s
Rie Saito (pseudonym), a woman in her 50s, shared her story, showing LINE messages exchanged with the scammer:

LINE Messages:
Scammer: "Did you really get home so quickly? I miss you."
Saito: "You must be tired, but make sure to eat a good meal."

The exchanges felt like conversations between real lovers. Despite being married, Saito admitted:
"It felt like an affair... my heart was racing."

A month later, Saito had been scammed out of 5.5 million yen.

How It Started: A Message on Social Media
In March of this year, Saito received a direct message on social media:
"I'm planning to visit Japan soon; what season do you recommend?"

They moved their conversation to LINE, where the scammer repeatedly showered Saito with compliments like, "You're beautiful and kind."

When Saito asked for a photo, the scammer sent an image of a bearded, long-faced man who claimed to be "Ji-hoon," which led her to believe he was South Korean.

Saito recalled:
"He looked cute, like a puppy. Over time, I started to fall for him."

The exchanges became intense, with over 200 messages daily.

LINE Messages:
Scammer: "If we could meet, I'd hold you and kiss you."

When Saito asked for a voice message, the scammer responded:
(In English) "Good evening. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me."

Saito said:
"It started feeling like we were real lovers. Before I knew it, he became my emotional support."

The Scam Unfolds: Cryptocurrency Investment
One day, the scammer introduced cryptocurrency trading:
"After much thought, I've decided to share my wealth of knowledge about crypto trading with you. I've never shared this with anyone before."

Despite initial doubts, Saito accessed the site he recommended, investing 50,000 yen. On-screen, her "investment" grew to over 6,000 yen in profit.

Saito reflected:
"I didn't doubt it. I thought, 'Wow, he's so smart.'"

The scammer persuaded her to invest more, promising greater returns. Alongside these discussions, he continued to fuel her romantic hopes:

LINE Messages:
Scammer: "I want to buy a house just for us in Hawaii and live there together."
Scammer: "Last night, I dreamed of living with you."

Saito agreed to meet him in Japan after making further payments, but he never showed up. She later discovered the crypto trading platform was fake. By then, she had lost 5.5 million yen.

A Growing Trend: Preying on Savings and Emotions
According to Japan's National Police Agency, romance scam damages in 2024 are 2.3 times higher than the same period in 2023, totaling approximately 34.6 billion yen, a record-breaking pace.

The majority of victims are in their 50s. Authorities warn:
"Scammers may target those in their 50s with substantial savings and fewer immediate family responsibilities."

Family Concerns: A Mother Still Believes
Kanae Oshima (pseudonym), another woman in her 50s, fell victim to a romance scam. Despite being scammed, she still trusts the scammer.

Her daughter shared:
"She thought it was really him (a famous idol). She's now seeing a psychiatrist."

The family discovered the fraud after receiving a bank notification:
"You may be a victim of fraud. Total remittance exceeds 16 million yen."

The scammer posed as a Korean pop idol, who had sent a direct message asking:
"When did you become my fan?"

Oshima responded:
"Since 2009."

Even after learning the truth, Oshima struggles to move on.

Authorities are urging vigilance and recommending video calls to verify identities in such situations.

We had an interesting scammer here a few years back. He took his time , posting for several months and becoming a regular here. Then all of a sudden he needed a credit card from one of us to save his family and take all of them to Australia. When he got no offers , he moved on to take his scam elsewhere.

Grandpa Frank said:

We had an interesting scammer here a few years back. He took his time , posting for several months and becoming a regular here. Then all of a sudden he needed a credit card from one of us to save his family and take all of them to Australia. When he got no offers , he moved on to take his scam elsewhere.

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Scammers are the scum of the earth and should all be keelhauled. They prey on the unaware, the old, the lonely, and the kind and I have zero sympathy for whatever situation they are in that makes them choose cheating others. I'm incredibly thankful I have taught my father to hang up and, if they persist, tell them to call when I'm around. Strangely, they never do.

Thank goodness this old guy resorted to his local bank to remit:

A bank employee in Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, was commended by police on 8 May after preventing a man in his 60s from becoming the victim of a romance scam while attempting to transfer 100,000 yen (around $686) to a woman he had met through an online dating app. Kumiko Jingu, 51, a section head at the Shimonita Branch of Shinonome Shinkin Bank, became concerned after speaking directly with the man and assessed that the situation was "98% suspicious." She promptly contacted the police, who later presented her with a certificate of appreciation.

According to Tomioka Police Station, the man met someone posing as a woman from the Gunma Prefecture city of Takasaki via a dating app around February and began conversing with the person. Several days before he visited the bank branch, the person had suggested, "Let's go out for a meal and a movie," and subsequently guided him to another social media platform, where he was told, "If you deposit 100,000 yen, you'll get 1,000 yen a day in interest." Jingu expressed relief that the man didn't lose his money. "I'm glad he didn't get angry at my response and go home and then send money from another financial institution," she said. This was the second time she received a certificate of appreciation from Gunma Prefectural Police.

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I thought Japanese women were romance-averse and quickly experience 'the ick' when they realise their date is sōshoku-kei (草食系)? Maybe that's younger women.

Ukigumo said:

I thought Japanese women were romance-averse and quickly experience 'the ick' when they realise their date is sōshoku-kei (草食系)? Maybe that's younger women.

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Maybe that's why they're falling for these scams. They feel like the person on the other end of the line is a real man and not sōshoku-kei.

Well if any Japanese ladies out there are interested in a 167cm tall, bespectacled, animal-loving, vegetarian with a slight obsession with Japanese bladed objects, science and weight training…I have just the 'friend' for them

thomas said:

Thank goodness this old guy resorted to his local bank to remit:

A bank employee in Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, was commended by police on 8 May after preventing a man in his 60s from becoming the victim of a romance scam while attempting to transfer 100,000 yen (around $686) to a woman he had met through an online dating app. Kumiko Jingu, 51, a section head at the Shimonita Branch of Shinonome Shinkin Bank, became concerned after speaking directly with the man and assessed that the situation was "98% suspicious." She promptly contacted the police, who later presented her with a certificate of appreciation.

'98% suspicious': Japan bank employee saves man from 100,000-yen romance scam loss - The Mainichi

TOMIOKA, Gunma -- A bank employee in this eastern Japan prefecture of Gunma who stopped a man in his 60s from falling victim to a romance scam as he t

mainichi.jp

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It's times like this where the police of Japan seem honorable. Sadly, I've read too many stories here on JREF about the police and Gaijins like me…

"Master_o_puppets said:

It's times like this where the police of Japan seem honorable. Sadly, I've read too many stories here on JREF about the police and Gaijins like me…

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I have never had a run-in with the Japanese police in over two decades. I'm not saying that it couldn't happen (there are black sheep everywhere), but it usually boils down to your own comportment. Cooperate, be friendly, and go on with your business. Based on my limited anecdotal knowledge of overseas law enforcement, I'd be much more concerned about trigger-happy sheriffs armed to the teeth than martial arts-trained J-coppers.

A man in his fifties from Suzuka, Mie, who recently fell victim to a romance scam on social media, losing approximately 10 million yen (around $69,000), reflected on his mistakes: determined to warn others against falling into similar traps, he decided to speak publicly about his ordeal, shedding light on the calculated and emotionally manipulative strategies employed by fraudsters, who exploited his feelings to deceive him out of his savings.

Blind love.

It was around April last year that the man received a message on X (formerly Twitter) from a person going by the name "Yuga," who claimed to be a woman from Taiwan. "It's nice to meet you," the message read, accompanied by an emoji. The man initially thought she was a tourist from Taiwan whom a friend had asked him to guide, so he began corresponding with the person. "Let's meet in Japan," the person suggested. An image from a chat the man had with the scammer, talking about going out with a friend, is seen in this image provided by the man. It turned out that "Yuga" was not the tourist he was supposed to guide, but merely happened to be from Taiwan. Nevertheless, the man was drawn to her. "As we discussed Taiwan and other topics, I felt I wanted to get to know her as a friend. I believed she cared for me differently from others. Honestly, I was happy," he recalled. About a week after they met, "Yuga" introduced the idea of investing. "There's a place that handles cryptocurrencies," she told him. Although the man had experience with stock investments and was initially suspicious of fraud, he found nothing amiss upon conducting his own research. He followed instructions to send a total of approximately 2 million yen ($13,800) over six transactions to a specified site as an investment.

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