Overview
- Osaka Prefectural Police launched AIko, a virtual police chief, on their YouTube channel in late May to teach viewers how to spot imposter, investment and romance scams using real example conversations.
- In videos AIko gives clear, platform-specific warnings such as “No police officers show their IDs and arrest warrants online,” language meant to counter scammers who impersonate officers over calls and messages.
- Preliminary Osaka data show people aged 64 and under made up nearly half of local scam victims last year, which prompted police to target younger, social-media-active audiences with the avatar.
- Law enforcement has moved in parallel to arrests and international cooperation, with more than 30 Japanese nationals detained this year in probes of organised fraud networks operating from compounds in parts of mainland Southeast Asia.
- The AIko project was developed by Toshinori Hirano of Kagawa University and arrives as the national Digital Agency prepares a closed-network generative-AI platform for civil servants, a step that could expand AI tools across public services.