The National Police Agency announced on the 2nd that the damage from “SNS investment fraud,” in which people pose as celebrities on social networking sites to solicit investments, amounted to approximately 58.04 billion yen from January to July. This is an increase of approximately 48.93 billion yen from the same period last year. The number of reported cases was 4,099, an increase of 3,294 cases.

The monthly damage peaked in April this year at about 11.51 billion yen, with 808 reported cases. The damage amount has decreased for three consecutive months since April. The damage remains at a high level, and the National Police Agency is calling for caution.

The most common occupation that perpetrators pretended to be was “investors”. “Other celebrities”, “office workers” and “people in the arts and entertainment industry” were also prominent. The main tools that perpetrators used for the first contact between victims and perpetrators were LINE, Instagram and Facebook. The most common ways victims were harmed were through banner ads, direct messages and group invitations within each tool.