Japan Scams: Ore Ore, Investment & Online Fraud Guide
Common scams in Japan and how to report to the National Police Agency, NPA @police, and your bank.
Emergency number: 110 (police), 119 (fire/ambulance) — verify on official sources.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Japan faces distinctive fraud patterns including the 'Ore Ore' (it's me, it's me) family impersonation phone scam targeting elderly people, as well as investment fraud, fake online shops, and romance-linked financial requests. Japanese police group these phone-based frauds under the umbrella term 'tokushu sagi' (special fraud), and they remain stubbornly effective despite decades of awareness campaigns, ATM warnings, and bank staff trained to question large withdrawals by elderly customers.
The classic scripts are worth knowing. In Ore Ore, a caller opens with 'it's me' and lets the victim supply the name, then pleads a workplace crisis — lost company money, an affair settlement, a pregnant girlfriend — needing cash today, collected by a 'colleague' or sent by furikomi bank transfer. Refund fraud ('kanpu-kin sagi') claims you are owed a health-insurance or tax rebate and walks victims through ATM operations that actually send money out. Fake police and prosecutor calls accuse victims of money-laundering involvement and demand funds for 'verification', increasingly over video with forged warrant cards. Cash is often collected in person by low-level couriers ('uketori-yaku') recruited through shady part-time 'yami baito' job ads — which is also how young people get criminally entangled.
Online, SNS-based investment fraud has surged: social media ads and group chats impersonating famous investors and economists groom victims into fake stock or crypto platforms, and romance-investment hybrids on dating apps follow the international pig-butchering pattern. Add phishing that impersonates major banks, credit card companies, Amazon, and delivery firms, plus fake online shops with prices too good to be true, and the picture is thoroughly modern. Report cybercrime via your prefectural police cybercrime desk or the NPA's portal, call 188 for consumer-centre advice, and if a transfer just happened, contact the bank at once — Japanese banks can freeze recipient accounts under the furikome-sagi relief framework, and frozen funds can sometimes be returned to victims.
Common scams
- 'Ore Ore' (it's me) family impersonation phone scam targeting the elderly
- Investment and fake financial product fraud
- Fake online shops and non-delivery
- Romance and 'Sakura' (fake profile) scams on dating platforms
Tourist-specific scams
- Overcharging at tourist-facing bars or clubs (especially in entertainment districts)
- Fake souvenir or counterfeit goods
- Bar touts leading visitors to venues with inflated bills and card overcharges
Online shopping scams
- Fake online retail sites
- Phishing impersonating major Japanese banks or Japan Post
- Fake delivery fee SMS
- Support scam pop-ups demanding payment for fake 'virus' removal
Job scams
- Task scams via messaging apps
- Fake part-time job listings requiring upfront payments
- 'Yami baito' (shady part-time) ads recruiting scam couriers and mules
Romance scams
- Dating platform and social media romance with escalating financial requests
- Romance-investment hybrids steering matches to fake crypto platforms
- International romance scams asking for shipping or customs fees
Investment scams
- Fake investment products and unlicensed brokers
- Crypto and 'AI bot' trading schemes
- SNS investment fraud impersonating famous investors in group chats
How to report a scam here
- Contact your bank immediately if money was transferred
- Report cybercrime to your prefectural police cybercrime consultation desk
- Check and report via the NPA @police portal at npa.go.jp/cyberpolice
- For consumer disputes, contact the NCAC consumer hotline by dialling 188
Local reporting & protection links
- Cybercrime reporting
- Consumer protection
- Police
- NCAC consumer hotline — Dial 188 within Japan to reach a local consumer centre
Always verify reporting routes and emergency contacts on the official government or agency website for your country.
Bank & payment guidance
Contact your bank immediately using the number on your card or passbook, not a number given to you by a caller. Japanese banks can attempt to freeze fraudulent transfers most effectively in the first few hours, so make the call before anything else — under Japan's furikome-sagi victim relief law, recipient accounts can be frozen and remaining balances distributed back to victims, but only for those who reported. Explain that you were deceived into making the transfer, ask for the receiving account to be frozen and reported, note the reference number, and file with the police so the freeze request is backed by a report. No legitimate financial institution, police force, or government agency will ask you to move money to a 'safe account', pay a 'refund fee' at an ATM, or hand cash to a courier. If you were guided through ATM operations by phone, tell the bank exactly what you keyed in. Change any banking credentials you were persuaded to share.
Evidence to preserve
- Screenshot all messages, profiles, websites and payment pages
- Save transaction references, account numbers and crypto wallet addresses
- Keep emails with full headers where possible
- Note dates, times, names and phone numbers used
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ore Ore scam?
It is a phone scam in which a caller impersonates a family member — typically a son or grandson — and claims to be in urgent trouble, needing money immediately. It disproportionately targets elderly people. Always verify by calling the family member back on a known number.
How do I report cybercrime in Japan?
Contact the cybercrime consultation desk at your local prefectural police headquarters, or use the NPA @police portal at npa.go.jp/cyberpolice/english. For consumer fraud, call 188 to reach the National Consumer Affairs Centre.
What is 'tokushu sagi'?
It is the Japanese police umbrella term for 'special fraud' — remote scams such as Ore Ore family impersonation, fake refund calls, fake police calls, and billing fraud, typically targeting elderly victims by phone and collecting money via transfer, ATM manipulation, or cash couriers.
Sources
- National police and cybercrime portals (verify on official sites)
- FTC / Action Fraud / Scamwatch consumer guidance