In recent years, Japanese society has been suffering from financial fraud cases, much like Taiwan. The financial losses caused by new types of special fraud have surged from 28.2 billion yen in 2021 to 45.26 billion yen in 2023, with the elderly being the primary targets of these scams, similar to the situation in Taiwan.
Recently, retired police detective Seizo Sasaki from the Japanese Investigation Division published a book exposing the new scripts of fraud groups. Sasaki, a retired police officer skilled in analyzing communication data and fraud cases, has achieved significant results. He frequently appears on television programs to share insights and conducts seminars on how to prevent fraud. His new book, Dark Side of Part-time Jobs: Protecting Against Robbery, Special Fraud, and Theft, reveals three new types of criminal activities by organized crime groups, including illegal part-time job robberies, special fraud, and international romance scams.
Impersonating Law Enforcement to Exploit Fear
The methods employed by fraud groups are constantly evolving. When making calls to the elderly, these groups have changed their opening lines. They no longer say, “Hello! It’s me,” or play guessing games, but instead directly ask, “Are you so-and-so? I am a police officer.” This type of fraud script, where the caller impersonates a police officer, is particularly effective on elderly individuals, who are often isolated and easily misled by convincing language.
Fraudsters no longer impersonate acquaintances; instead, they specialize in posing as police officers or officials. Since most people rarely receive calls from the police, combined with the realistic dialogue, elderly individuals can easily fall into the trap after receiving just a few phone calls.
The most skilled tactic of these fake police officers is to instill fear in the victims. They claim to be police or prosecutors and inform the victims that their bank accounts have been frozen due to misuse by criminals, urging them to provide their bank account details, ATM cards, and passwords. These fake police claim they can help recover lost funds. In other scripts, impersonating prosecutors, they notify victims of legal violations and demand bail payments, resulting in significant financial losses for many.
Members of these fraud groups operate as organized criminals, with individuals playing different roles such as police officers, lawyers, and prosecutors to brainwash and confuse victims. A well-known Taiwanese artist, Ai-Chen Tan, fell victim to such a scheme, joking that after a lifetime of acting, she could not outsmart these fraudsters.
18-Year-Old Taiwanese Man Pretends to be Police Officer, Scams 90-Year-Old Woman in Japan
Recently, Osaka police arrested a suspect who flew from Taiwan to Japan to commit fraud. The 18-year-old Taiwanese man impersonated a Japanese police officer and demanded cash from a 90-year-old woman. While she was preparing to withdraw money from the bank, Japanese police apprehended him on the spot. A 60-year-old accomplice who was tricked into being the getaway driver was also present. This case marks Osaka’s first instance of a fraudster manipulating a third party to act as a driver, and the investigation is ongoing.
How to Prevent and Identify Fraud?
During crime prevention seminars, Seizo Sasaki often asks participants what they should do if they receive a call from the police. He believes that the public rarely receives calls from police officers, and when they do, they are often surprised and can easily be misled by the caller’s words. Sasaki advises the public not to trust someone simply because they claim to be a police officer. It is best to hang up, check the caller’s number, and avoid dialing the contact numbers and extension numbers left by the caller. Instead, they should use publicly available police department numbers to verify the caller’s identity.
A friend of the author shared a story about his father being scammed. His father, a retired police officer, was still deceived by a fake prosecutor. The impostor presented forged court documents, tricking the author’s seventy-year-old father, who had previously been a criminal investigator, into losing over 10 million in retirement savings. This shocked the entire family regarding the sophisticated methods of Taiwanese fraud groups. Artist Ai-Chen Tan was also scammed by fake documents and a group of highly skilled actors, losing nearly a million dollars. Fortunately, she recognized a scam during her second transfer and, alongside her daughter, Ouyang Jing, bravely shared her victim experience. Fraud groups often target the elderly; family members should be attentive and supportive of their daily lives to help establish protective barriers against scams, safeguarding the family’s wealth and security.
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