Fake police calls expected to rise in December

Scam telephone calls by fake police is one of the most prevalent organized

special fraud ("tokushu sosagi") in Japan in 2025. And reporters are warning that a rise in these type of scam phone calls are expected this December. 

A brief explanation for those that haven't heard about this type of fraud before; a crime syndicate are impersonating the police, often using an AI-generated fake police officer, to solicit money from victims by phone call. They ring the victim and organize a face to face call, at which time they are dressed in a police uniform and even show a police identification. They then deceive victims out of cash and goods under the guise of investigations.

 The key takeaway of the reports on these white collar crimes is that the real police will never ask for money or your credit card details over the phone. Japanese law enforcement officials have explicitly stated that police never demand money or ask individuals to transfer funds to a bank account as part of an investigation. So if you get a call from a police officer looking for money over a phone or video call, please contact your local police station directly and report it.