Police Hold Anti-Fraud Event, Warn That Officers Never Contact by Email or LINE

Oct 12, 2025 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department held a community event in Suginami Ward on October 11 to raise awareness and prevent special fraud schemes that continue to target residents.

At the event, actor Maho Toyota was appointed honorary police chief for the day and called on passersby to stay alert to potential scams.

Ogikubo Police Station warned that if words such as "Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications," "unpaid fees," or "service suspension" appear in a phone call, residents should assume it is a scam and hang up immediately. They also emphasized that police officers never make initial contact via email or LINE, urging people not to reply to such messages.

According to the department, losses from special fraud cases in Tokyo reached roughly 18.9 billion yen by the end of August 2025, already surpassing the previous record of about 15.3 billion yen for all of 2024.

Source: TBS

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