Advance-Fee Scams in Japan
Prepayment fraud targeting Japanese victims with lottery prizes, foreign inheritance, and government subsidy claims that require successive upfront fees.
Part of: Advance Fee Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Advance-fee fraud in Japan frequently piggybacks on official-sounding schemes: fake Japan Post prize notifications, fabricated inheritance from a distant foreign relative, or false government 給付金 (benefit payment) announcements. Elderly Japanese residents are disproportionately targeted through postal mail and phone calls as well as increasingly through Line.
Some schemes operate at industrial scale, sending mass printed letters with official-looking letterheads to residential addresses, achieving a response rate sufficient to generate significant fraud revenue.
How this scam works on Japan
A letter arrives by post or a Line message is received claiming the recipient has won a substantial 当選金 (prize) from a legitimate-sounding lottery body or international award committee. To claim the prize, a nominal administration fee or tax must be paid first — typically by convenience store payment (konbini), Amazon gift card, or bank transfer.
For inheritance variants, a 'foreign lawyer' contacts the victim explaining that they are the sole heir to a deceased foreigner's estate held in a foreign bank. Multiple fees — legal, customs, anti-money-laundering — accumulate before the supposed inheritance can be transferred.
Government benefit variants reference real programs such as マイナポイント schemes or national benefit payments, telling victims a fee is required to unlock their entitlement.
Common red flags
- Unexpected prize notification for a lottery you never entered
- Request for any advance payment to claim a prize, inheritance, or benefit
- Government benefit notification arriving via Line rather than through My Number Card portal
- Successive fees — each payment spawns another required payment
- Request to pay via Amazon gift card, iTunes card, or konbini payment (common in Japanese fraud variants)
- Instructions to keep the matter confidential from family
How to protect yourself
- Legitimate prizes and government benefits in Japan never require upfront payment
- Verify any claimed government benefit through MyNa Portal (myna.go.jp) directly
- Japan Post prize notifications can be verified through Japan Post's official customer service
- Never pay by gift card — no legitimate organization accepts gift cards as payment
- Discuss unexpected prize or benefit notifications with a trusted family member immediately
How to report it
- Report to National Consumer Affairs Center (国民生活センター) at kokusen.go.jp
- Call the Consumer Hotline: 188
- Report to local police at the nearest Koban or by calling 110
Frequently asked questions
What is Japan's Consumer Hotline 188?
188 (いやや — 'no way') is Japan's national consumer fraud hotline operated by the National Consumer Affairs Center. It provides advice on suspicious contacts and can direct victims to local consumer affairs centers for further assistance.