Scams in Japan 2026: Fake Police and Immigration Calls, How to Report

Checked on 18 October 2026 against the National Police Agency (its SOS47 anti-fraud pages and the final 2025 figures published on 5 June 2026), the Immigration Services Agency’s warnings, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the Financial Services Agency and the Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Consumer Affairs Agency and the National Consumer Affairs Center, and the text of the Furikome Sagi Relief Act and the Penal Code (e-Gov).

Knowing this, you can tell on the spot whether a call or message is real, and stop before any money leaves your account. And if it already has, you will know who to call today to keep a way back open.

Quick reference: what to do today, and who to call

What is happening	What to do today	Who to call, key facts
A call or LINE message from “the police”	Hang up. Do not call back the number they give you	A police station you looked up yourself, or #9110 (weekdays 8:30 to 17:15; varies by prefecture)
A call or message from “Immigration” or an embassy	Send no money. Immigration asks for nothing beyond the application fee	#9110 or 188. Immigration never calls from a number starting with “+”. Online-application fee emails (applications from 1 October 2026) come only from @service-dgft.com and @veritrans.jp
You already sent money by bank transfer	Call the same day and ask for the account to be frozen	The receiving bank and the police. Payout usually takes at least six months. Nothing is paid if less than 1,000 yen is left
Deadlines for the relief	Ask the receiving bank for the dates for your account	At least 60 days for the account holder to claim, then at least 30 days for victims to apply, both counted from the day after the notice (set for each account)
You bought from a fake shopping site	Act by how you paid (card company / receiving bank and police / refuse a cash-on-delivery parcel)	188 (free advice; you pay for the call). If busy, 03-3446-0999 (weekdays 10:00 to 16:00)
Questions about how the relief works	Contact the police and the receiving bank first	Deposit Insurance Corporation 03-6262-6794 (weekdays 9:30 to 18:00; closed weekends, holidays and 29 Dec to 3 Jan)
It is happening right now	Get an officer to come	110

Late one evening an unknown number rings. The caller speaks your language and says he is from your embassy. “Your passport was used in a crime. Pay, or you will be deported.” Then he asks you to switch to a video call, and an arrest warrant with your name on it fills the screen. You ask a Japanese friend what to do, and they have no idea. Nobody calls Japanese people pretending to be your country’s embassy.

What scams target foreigners in Japan? 43,000 cases and 325.7 billion yen in 2025

The National Police Agency calls these “special fraud” (tokushu sagi): crimes where the scammer never meets you, builds your trust by phone or social media, and gets you to hand over money, usually by bank transfer. Investment scams and romance scams run through social media work the same way, without a face-to-face meeting.

The final 2025 figures, published on 5 June 2026, counted 43,000 cases of these scams combined, with losses of 325.7 billion yen. Special fraud alone was 27,832 cases and 142.3 billion yen, the worst on record for both.

• Fake-police scams: 11,014 cases, 100.5 billion yen (70.6% of all special-fraud losses)
• Social-media investment scams: 9,523 cases, 128.8 billion yen
• Social-media romance scams: 5,645 cases, 54.6 billion yen

2026 has not been better. Provisional figures for January to July (published 4 September) show 6,566 investment-scam cases, up 75.6% on the same months of 2025, and 5,422 fake-police cases.

The police figures do not break victims down by nationality. But the Tokyo Metropolitan Police have issued separate warnings about calls posing as the Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai embassies, and about social-media investment scams aimed at foreign residents. And the age group hit most often by fake-police scams was people in their 30s. This is not only a problem for the elderly.

Is a call from “the police” a scam? Four ways to spot a fake-police scam

In a fake-police scam, the caller poses as a police officer and demands money under the cover of an “investigation”. He says an account in your name is being used for crime, or that a phone was contracted in your name. He says you may be arrested. Then he moves you to a LINE video call and shows a fake police badge and a fake arrest warrant with your real name. He tells you not to discuss the “investigation” with anyone.

The National Police Agency lists four things a real officer does not do (NPA, beware of fake-police scams).

1. Tell you by phone that you are the subject of an investigation
2. Contact you through LINE or another messaging app
3. Send you images of a police badge or arrest warrant
4. Video-call your personal phone out of the blue

If even one of these happens, it is a scam. Hang up, and call back on a number you looked up yourself, a police station or #9110, never the number the caller gives you.

A real police number on your screen is no guarantee. In one case, a scammer made the main number of a prefectural police headquarters appear on the victim’s phone and talked them into transferring 2.5 million yen. Many calls also come from international numbers starting with “+” and ending in “0110”. In 2025, 75.5% of the phone numbers used in special fraud were international numbers. The police recommend installing an app on your smartphone that blocks incoming international calls.

Are calls or emails from “Immigration” or your embassy scams? Immigration asks for no money except fees

The Immigration Services Agency receives many reports of calls and emails from people claiming to be its staff. Its answer is plain: Immigration asks for no money other than the permission fee for an application you made (Immigration Services Agency, scams posing as the agency, in Japanese). It adds that it never makes anyone pay by saying the money is needed to stay in Japan.

Examples the agency has published:

• A caller said you had travelled abroad on certain dates and your passport might be being misused, then asked for your date of birth and address
• An automated voice said “important documents are being held”, “documents are missing” or “a deadline has passed”, and told you to press a number
• A recorded message in Chinese said your residence card would be invalidated because of “an abnormality”
• A caller said a foreign acquaintance was held at the airport and asked you to transfer an entry fee or bail
• An email said you would be fined 2 million yen if you did not update your visa information

Immigration never calls from an overseas number starting with “+”. Scammers can fake real numbers and email addresses, so if you are worried, call your regional immigration bureau on a number you looked up yourself.

Watch out for fake fee emails too. From 1 October 2026, fees for online applications are paid at a convenience store or by bank payment, and the payment notice comes only from addresses ending in “@service-dgft.com” or “@veritrans.jp” (Immigration Services Agency, online application fees and how to pay). Immigration states that any email from another address asking you to pay the fee is a scam. Which addresses the real notices come from, and in what order, is in how online visa renewal works. You can check the real amounts in the October 2026 fee increase and compare them with the email.

Some calls claim to be from your own country’s embassy or police. Tokyo police report calls posing as the Chinese embassy or China’s public security bureau to Chinese residents, as the Vietnamese embassy or Ministry of Public Security to Vietnamese residents, and as the Thai embassy to Thai residents (Tokyo Metropolitan Police, avoiding becoming a victim). The script is similar: your name was used in a crime, there is a warrant for your arrest, pay or be deported. In the Chinese-embassy version, people who could not pay were told to fake their own kidnapping so their parents would pay a ransom. One victim sent more than 20 million yen (Tokyo Metropolitan Police, beware of calls posing as the Chinese embassy or public security bureau).

Tokyo police give three rules. Do not answer withheld or unknown numbers. Never send a photo of your ID. When money comes up, hang up and talk to a friend or the police. Do not decide alone.

Invited to invest on social media? How investment and romance scams work

Tokyo police say plainly that foreign residents are targets too, and describe how the social-media investment scam unfolds.

1. A message arrives: “Same nationality!” or “I’m an international student too”
2. Once you are friendly, it becomes “a great project” that is “guaranteed to make money”
3. A small “dividend” lands in your account, and you start to believe
4. You are told you need to send more to earn more, and you transfer money
5. The person disappears

Step 3 is the trap. The small early payment exists to win your trust. No investment is guaranteed to make money.

Romance scams start with affection instead. In 2025, 92.8% of romance scams began with a direct message, and the first contact came through a dating app in 32.7% of cases, Instagram in 22.8% and Facebook in 18.6%. If someone you have never met starts talking about investing, transfers or crypto, stop there.

Investment scams also use ads that borrow photos or videos of famous people without permission, then pull you into an “investment group” on LINE. The National Police Agency says such ads have risen sharply since July 2025.

Asked to “lend your bank account” or “just pick up a package”? You become the criminal

You are leaving Japan, so you give your old bank account and card to a friend who is staying. Where you grew up, that might just be a favour. In Japan, handing your account to someone is a crime in itself, whether or not you are paid for it. If the account is then used in a scam, the name on it is yours.

Every scam needs people on the other side as well. Social media carries job posts that promise “high pay”, “same-day cash” or “totally legal work” without saying what the work is. The National Police Agency says these are recruitment ads for criminals. The person sent to collect the victim’s money or parcel is called the ukeko, the receiver. In 2025, the agency noted a marked rise in foreign nationals arrested as receivers in social-media investment and romance scams.

Fraud carries up to 10 years in prison under the Penal Code (Article 246). Handing your bank account to someone is also a crime, paid or unpaid. The penalties and the effect on your visa are in things that are illegal in Japan for foreign residents, so read it before you reply to any such offer.

If you already applied: the National Police Agency says that if you go to #9110 or a police station, the police will protect you and your family. You can get out, even if you are being threatened. If a friend asks to use your account, how to say no when someone asks to borrow has the words. An account you no longer use should be closed at the bank, not handed over. Do not reply to “same-day loan” or “personal loan” posts on social media. The public help to use instead of borrowing is in getting through a cash shortfall without borrowing in Japan.

Bought something from a fake shopping site? Who to call depends on how you paid

The National Consumer Affairs Center lists the warning signs of a fake shopping site. The Japanese on the site reads strangely. Prices are heavily discounted. There is no company address, or the address is false. The only way to contact the shop is a web form or a free email address. Payment options are limited (National Consumer Affairs Center, fake shopping sites). Recently it has also found sites that copy photos and text from flea-market apps and make you pay a private person’s account through the “send money” function of a code-payment app (National Consumer Affairs Center, 17 June 2026, in Japanese).

If you realise you ordered from one, what you do depends on how you paid (same National Consumer Affairs Center warning).

You paid by	Do this now
Credit card	Call the card company
Bank transfer	Call the receiving bank and ask for relief under the Furikome Sagi Relief Act. Report it to the police too
Cash on delivery	If you just ordered, email to cancel. When a parcel arrives, check the sender on the label before paying, and refuse it if it is not the shop you ordered from

Next may come a message: “The item is out of stock, so we will refund you through a payment app.” If you are asked to add someone on LINE or share your screen, that is a scam too. The Center has received reports from people who followed the “refund” steps and found they had sent money instead (National Consumer Affairs Center, “refund via a payment app” scams). Never share your screen.

Where to report a scam in Japan? When to use 110, #9110 and 188

Number	When	Good to know
110	It is happening now and you need an officer to come	For emergencies only
#9110	You got a suspicious call or message, or think you have been scammed	Connects to the police advice line for the area you call from. Weekdays 8:30 to 17:15 (varies by prefecture). Nights and weekends: duty staff or a recorded message
188	Shopping problems: fake shops, “refund” tricks	Enter your postcode to reach your local consumer centre. Advice is free; you pay for the call

#9110 does not work from rotary-dial phones or some IP phones. In that case, use your prefectural police’s advice number or go to a police station. If 188 is busy, the National Consumer Affairs Center has a backup line: 03-3446-0999, weekdays 10:00 to 16:00 (Consumer Affairs Agency, consumer hotline 188).

Before you call, keep the caller’s number, screenshots of messages and emails, and your transfer receipt. If you only tapped a link in a text or email, first see what to do by what you entered. Do not delete the chat.

Can I get my money back? How refunds work under the Furikome Sagi Relief Act

Possibly, under conditions. The Furikome Sagi Relief Act lets the money left in an account used for fraud be shared out among the people who were cheated into paying into it.

It covers fraud where you paid into a bank account. That includes “it’s me” (ore-ore) scams and fake-police scams, and it also includes investment and romance scams if you paid by bank transfer (Financial Services Agency, for victims of transfer fraud). Cash handed over in person and crypto you sent yourself are not covered. About 8 in 10 fake-police scams in 2025 were paid by bank transfer (National Police Agency).

Speed matters more than anything. Once the scammer withdraws the money, there is nothing left to return. As soon as you realise, call the receiving bank and the police the same day and ask them to freeze the account.

What happens next:

1. The bank investigates and freezes the account
2. The Deposit Insurance Corporation publishes a first notice. The account holder has at least 60 days to claim the money; if they do not, their claim is extinguished
3. A second notice opens a period of at least 30 days for victims to apply
4. You send the application form, proof of identity and proof of your loss (such as the transfer receipt) to the receiving bank
5. The bank decides who is paid and how much, and pays

Expect at least six months before you receive anything. You may not get it all back: if victims’ claims add up to more than the balance, it is split in proportion to each loss. If less than 1,000 yen is left, nothing is paid.

What are the deadlines? Count from the day after the notice

Both periods start the day after the notice is published: at least 60 days for the account holder to claim, and at least 30 days for victims to apply (Furikome Sagi Relief Act, Arts. 5 and 11). The exact length is set for each account.

Miss the application period and you cannot be paid. If you have reported the loss to the receiving bank, the bank will tell you your application period directly. You can also search by account number on the Deposit Insurance Corporation’s notice site. Notices go up twice a month, in principle on the 1st and the 16th (Deposit Insurance Corporation, if you are a victim of transfer fraud).

You can also ask the Deposit Insurance Corporation about the relief process (03-6262-6794, weekdays 9:30 to 18:00). But the Corporation itself says that even if you call it, you will still have to contact the police and the receiving bank again. For how to fill in the form and the dates for your account, ask the receiving bank.

Lost your transfer receipt? You can still apply. Explain to the bank when, where and how much you transferred.

Does getting money back cost anything? Anyone offering to “get it back” is the next scam

Advice through 188 is free; you pay only for the call. With #9110 you also pay just the call charge. The relief application form can be downloaded from the Financial Services Agency’s website.

Be careful with messages that arrive after you have been scammed. Fake sites using the National Consumer Affairs Center’s name have promised to “refund money collected from bad websites”. The Center says it never contacts people by email or phone unless they have consulted it first. If anyone offers to recover your money for a fee, ask 188 or #9110 before you pay.

If the scammer is convicted and their assets are confiscated, the Ministry of Justice’s victim recovery payment system may also apply.

Which one are you?

1. Someone on the phone or a video call is asking for money right now — hang up. Do not call back the number they give you. Today, call a police station you looked up yourself, or #9110.
2. You already transferred money — today, call the receiving bank and the police and ask for the account to be frozen. Save the receipt and screenshots of the chat.
3. Someone online wants you to invest or send money — send nothing. Screenshot their account and messages, and call #9110 today.
4. Someone asked to borrow your account or offered pay for “picking up a package” — do not reply, and block them. If you already applied, go to #9110 or a police station today.
5. You ordered from a fake shop — card: call the card company. Bank transfer: the receiving bank and the police. Cash on delivery: refuse the parcel. Not sure? Call 188 today.

FAQ

Q. “The police” called and said my bank account is being used for crime. Is it real?

Treat it as a scam. According to the National Police Agency, real officers do not tell you by phone that you are under investigation, contact you on LINE, or send images of a badge or warrant. Hang up and call a police station you looked up yourself, or #9110.

Q. Does Immigration ever call foreign residents about money?

Immigration asks for no money other than the fee for an application you made. Immigration also never calls from an overseas number starting with “+”. If you are worried, call your regional immigration bureau on a number you found yourself.

Q. How do I report a scammer in Japan?

Call #9110 for police advice, or 188 for shopping problems. If it is happening now and you need an officer, call 110. #9110 is mainly staffed on weekday daytimes, and hours differ by prefecture.

Q. I got scammed in Japan and sent money by bank transfer. Can I get it back?

If money is still in the account, the Furikome Sagi Relief Act may return some or all of it. Call the receiving bank and the police at once so the account is frozen. It usually takes six months or more, and you may not get the full amount.

Q. Does the relief cover investment and romance scams?

Yes, if you paid into a bank account. Cash handed over in person and crypto you sent are not covered by this system.

Q. What should I do if I ordered from a fake shopping site?

It depends on how you paid. Card: call the card company. Bank transfer: call the receiving bank and the police. Cash on delivery: check the sender on the label before paying, and refuse the parcel if it is not the shop you ordered from. If unsure, call 188.

Summary

A call from “the police”, “Immigration” or “your embassy” that says you are involved in a crime and asks for money is a scam. Real police do not contact you on LINE or send warrant photos, and Immigration asks for no money beyond the application fee. When someone you met online starts talking about investing, stop there.

If you have already paid, do not let embarrassment slow you down. The sooner you call the receiving bank and the police, the better your chance of getting money back. Not sure: #9110. Shopping: 188. Danger now: 110.

Official sources: National Police Agency, special fraud and SNS investment/romance scams in 2025 (final figures, Japanese) / NPA, figures to end of July 2026 (provisional, Japanese) / NPA, beware of fake-police scams (Japanese) / Immigration Services Agency, beware of suspicious calls and emails claiming to be Immigration / ISA, online application fees and payment (Japanese) / Tokyo Metropolitan Police, avoiding crime (Japanese) / Financial Services Agency, for victims of transfer fraud (Japanese) / Deposit Insurance Corporation, if you are a victim (Japanese) / Consumer Affairs Agency, consumer hotline 188 (Japanese) / National Consumer Affairs Center, fake shopping sites (Japanese) (all checked on 23 September 2026) / NPA, 2025 special fraud and SNS investment/romance scam figures, full report (Japanese) / Tokyo Metropolitan Police, calls posing as the Chinese embassy (Japanese) / Tokyo Metropolitan Police, SNS investment scams flyer (Japanese) / Penal Code, Art. 246 (e-Gov, Japanese) / Furikome Sagi Relief Act, Arts. 5 and 11 (e-Gov, Japanese) / National Consumer Affairs Center, “refund via a payment app” scams (Japanese) / Immigration Services Agency, scams posing as the agency (Japanese) (all checked on 26 September 2026).

Related reading

• If you want the penalties for selling an account or taking a money-forwarding job, and what they mean for your visa → Things That Are Illegal in Japan for Foreign Residents: 7 Laws (2026)
• If you want to open a bank account, or close one properly before leaving Japan → Bank Account in Japan for Foreigners 2026: Japan Post 3-Month Rule
• If you send money to family at home and want a legitimate, cheaper service → Sending Money Home from Japan 2026: Wise vs Banks vs IME

You may use the figures in this article, including commercially, if you credit this site with a link. How to use our figures