TOKYO - A growing number of cases have been reported in which individuals offering to transfer cats for free on social media platforms demand payments, leading to suspicions of fraud.
A reporter contacted the account holder, who identified themselves as "X," after encountering one such social media post.
Claiming "free transfer of home-bred kittens due to the closure of a cattery," X lured victims with the promise of free adoption but later demanded payments. Such incidents have reportedly been occurring in Tokyo and Osaka.
"This is definitely a scam. It makes me extremely angry," said Eriko Koike, head of "Neko Kara Mesen," a cat rescue organization in Osaka Prefecture.
One day, someone suddenly showed up at her office, demanding to pick up a cat that Koike knew nothing about.
Koike explained: "I had no idea what they were talking about. They just said they came to get a cat. Our organization does arrange adoptions, but of course, we require interviews and other steps. We would never hand over a cat to someone who just showed up out of the blue."
Further investigation revealed the following situation.
When contacting the social media account offering free cat transfers, a person calling themselves "X" responded. While claiming the cat itself was free, X demanded about 30,000 yen for food and insurance costs, to be paid via cashless methods. Furthermore, X provided the address of an unrelated organization as the pick-up location.
Koike recounted: "Two different groups came to pick up cats. One group insisted, saying they had already paid and demanded we hand over the cat. They even accused us of being accomplices."
Although the rescue organization, whose address was misused, did not suffer direct financial damage, they reported the incident to the police and issued a warning on their website.
Similar suspicious activities were uncovered when a news staff member contacted other social media accounts advertising free cat transfers. In each case, the person who ultimately emerged was the same "X" as in the Osaka case.
When continuing the conversation and specifying the desired cat, X again requested a cashless payment—this time totaling about 28,000 yen for food and insurance—despite advertising free transfers.
X claimed: "To ensure the cats are properly cared for, we have established these rules."
X continued to message daily, pushing for payment. Although an address in Tokyo was provided for pick-up, any request for a preliminary visit was denied with explanations such as, "Many people come to choose their cats, creating a significant burden for us," an excuse that raised further suspicions.
When visiting the provided Tokyo address, reporters found a dog breeder living there.
The breeder stated: "We have nothing to do with this. Someone even came to our home to pick up a cat, but we don't deal with cats at all. It's a real nuisance."
Once again, it appeared X had arbitrarily used another person's address.
Attempts to confront X through social media's call function were unsuccessful. When reporters revealed they were from Fuji TV and requested an interview, X responded curtly: "You are very rude and extremely unpleasant. You are really disgusting," after which all communication ceased.
Commenting on the situation, Hiroshi Mizokami, a lawyer at Hashimoto General Law Office and an expert on pet-related issues, said: "Just from reading the message, it seems suspicious. It uses language designed to create a sense of familiarity and trust. While it mentions insurance fees being refunded later, it is extremely rare for pet insurance to offer refunds."
He pointed out that there is a very high possibility this was a scam.
Source: FNN
