A new type of “out-of-stock/refund fraud” is rampant. Triple fraud on electronic money, etc. Be careful when shopping online.

A new type of “out-of-stock/refund fraud” is rampant. Triple fraud on electronic money, etc. Be careful when shopping online.
LINE message sent by a criminal group pretending to be a refund procedure (provided by the Metropolitan Police Department)

A number of cases of “out-of-stock/refund fraud” have been occurring in which victims who use fake online shopping sites are defrauded of product prices, electronic money, and cash as per the instructions of the criminals. Since the beginning of this year, the Metropolitan Police Department has received 138 reports of damage totaling approximately 150 million yen, and police and the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan are urging caution.

Pretend to be a mail order site

[The item you purchased the other day is temporarily out of stock]

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, in May of this year, a woman in her 40s who purchased tickets for an idol networking event on an online shopping site received the following email: Following the letter, the woman began communicating with a person claiming to be a vendor on LINE, hoping to receive a refund of the 15,000 yen she had paid for the ticket.

The company explained that the money would be refunded using the smartphone payment app PayPay, so the woman entered a so-called “authentication code” into PayPay while talking to the company. Then, without my knowledge, I was forced to transfer approximately 250,000 yen in electronic money.

The company then directed them to an internet banking site, telling them that the money could not be refunded due to an error. A total of 9.8 million yen was transferred from the woman’s account after following the instructions. The woman reportedly told the Metropolitan Police Department, “I thought I would get my money back if I did as instructed.”

Regardless of age or gender

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Investigation Division 2, such scams that pretend to be out of stock or refunds have been confirmed since around 2020, and have recently increased rapidly. Victims range in age from teens to those in their 70s, and the number of victims is increasing regardless of gender.

The main point of damage is the fake online shopping site. Rather than pretending to be a major site like Amazon, we have seen scams pretending to be individuals or small businesses selling books, clothes, musical instruments, figurines, DVDs, etc. The price is said to be much cheaper than other sites.

The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has also received many complaints about damage. According to the center, the characteristics of fraudulent sites include: (1) Branded products and manufacturer’s products are extremely cheaper than market prices; (2) Unnatural Japanese notation; and (3) Return rules and information about the business are not listed on the site. There is. When dealing with a vendor, the person in charge said, “If the other party says, “I’ll refund your money with XXX Pay,” first suspect fraud and contact our center or the police.” calling out. (Akihiko Tonosaki)

Source: Japanese