The doorbell rang and the resident, an old woman, opened the door to find two middle-aged men standing there.
They introduced themselves as detectives and quickly showed their “police IDs.” Then they pointed to the security camera overhead and asked, “Can you show us the footage?”
The two men said a crime had occurred nearby, and the suspect was on the run.
The visit by the two “police” to the woman in her 80s came in late April in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Sensing something suspicious about the duo, the woman politely refused their request and contacted her local police station.
She was told there appeared to be no ongoing investigations in the neighborhood. “We will intensify our patrols,” the police officer said.
The two men were apparently scouting for houses to burglarize during the holiday-studded Golden Week, which stretches from late April to early May, and wanted to check the functionality of the security cameras.
Techniques for impersonating others to deceive and defraud people have constantly been renewed and improved.
According to Ian Graham’s “The Ultimate Book of Impostors,” which recounts the true stories of more than 100 audacious impostors from various ages and countries, the motives can be categorized into four groups: envy, ego, escape and espionage.
In this case, was it envy toward wealth or an ego flaunting the latest techniques?
Impersonation scams using unauthorized images of celebrities for investment frauds are becoming increasingly common.
On social media platforms like Facebook, the celebrities themselves seem to be recommending investments, thereby duping people into giving money to the scammers or investing in a fake opportunity.
According to the National Police Agency, victims of impersonation investment scams were swindled out of 27.8 billion yen last year.
Unlike special fraud, or “tokushu sagi,” which typically involves scamming elderly people through fraudulent phone communications, impersonation investment scams more frequently victimize people in their 50s or younger.
Working-age adults are vulnerable to deceptive advertisements that slip through social media’s screening process.
Major social media operators said that despite their intensifying efforts to screen and remove violating advertisements, they are struggling to manage the vast number of fraudulent ads and keep pace with the rapid advancement of the technologies used.
This is their main excuse for failing to respond effectively to the proliferation of investment scams. But it is hard to believe they are doing their best, given their enormous influence.
--The Asahi Shimbun, April 28
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
VOX POPULI: Impersonation investing scams running rampant on social media
42
0
29.04.2024
The doorbell rang and the resident, an old woman, opened the door to find two middle-aged men standing there.
They introduced themselves as detectives and quickly showed their “police IDs.” Then they pointed to the security camera overhead and asked, “Can you show us the footage?”
The two men said a crime had occurred nearby, and the suspect was on the run.
The visit by the two “police” to the woman in her 80s came in late April in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Sensing something suspicious about the duo, the woman politely refused their request and contacted her local police station.
She was told there appeared to be no ongoing investigations in the neighborhood. “We will intensify our patrols,” the police........
© The Asahi Shimbun
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Rami G Khouri
Mort Laitner
Donald Low
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
