Society

Osaka Fraud Losses Top 33.9 Billion Yen as Police-Impersonation Scams Surge

OSAKA, Feb 13 (News On Japan) - Losses from special fraud and SNS-based investment and romance scams in Osaka Prefecture over the past year exceeded 33.9 billion yen, marking a record high.

According to Osaka Prefectural Police, the number of recognized penal code offenses during the past year totaled 84,107 cases.

The number of special fraud and SNS-based investment and romance scam incidents rose by roughly 1,100 from the previous year to a combined 4,813 cases, while total losses reached about 33.9 billion yen, an increase of roughly 15.1 billion yen from the year before, with both figures marking the worst on record.

Among special fraud cases, schemes in which perpetrators impersonated police officers accounted for the largest number of victims. In April last year, an Osaka woman in her 80s was sent an image of a fake “arrest warrant” and told her assets were under investigation, leading to the theft of gold bullion and other assets worth approximately 270 million yen.

Nationwide, losses from special fraud and SNS-based investment and romance scams also reached a record high of more than 320 billion yen, and police say they plan to strengthen countermeasures.

Source: KTV NEWS

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