Overview
- Kurume police in Fukuoka reported a 45-year-old man lost ¥13.28 million after callers posed as a debt collector, a Kyoto police investigator, and a prosecutor.
- National Police Agency data for 2025 counted 5,604 romance or social-media fraud cases with losses of ¥55.2 billion, more than triple the totals in 2023.
- Researchers link the spike to generative AI that produces instant fake photos and tailored chat replies, which lets scammers reach more people at lower cost.
- Many schemes begin with friendly messages on platforms like Facebook or LINE and move to private chats that never result in a face-to-face meeting.
- Scammers often build trust for one to several months before pushing fake investments or urgent payments, and authorities urge people to ignore unsolicited contacts to avoid the trap.