Topic IV: Initiatives for Eliminating Remittance Fraud and Other Special Fraud

The police are collaborating with relevant institutions and groups to implement various initiatives to eliminate special fraud.

Recently, nationwide, there have been numerous incidents of “Hey, it’s me” type of remittance call fraud cases and fraud carried out under the pretext of transactions, such as financial instruments. The total amount of loss incurred by special fraud in 2013 was a record high of approximately 48.95 billion yen. Given this serious situation, the police are implementing initiatives aimed at preventing and clearing increasing cases of special fraud so that citizens can live with a sense of security.

## (1) Current Types of Fund Delivery

The forms that victims of special fraud deliver money to criminals are through “transfer type” where money is transferred to a savings account used by the perpetrator, “cash receipt type” where the perpetrator goes to a home or other location to directly receive the cash, “cash card receipt type,” and “cash delivery type” where cash is sent by means including delivery service. “Transfer type” cases comprised more than half of such special fraud until 2012, but initiatives taken in cooperation with financial institutions and other entities have been successful and the rate of “transfer type” cases has dropped. On the other hand, “cash receipt type” cases have increased. In 2013, the number of “cash receipt type” cases exceeded “transfer type” cases.

Confirmed type of delivery of funds in special fraud (2013)

(2) Promoting Crackdown Activities in View of Damage Prevention and Recovery

In addition to crackdowns targeting criminal groups that carry out special fraud, the police are also developing the following types of initiatives in response to the changing manner of delivery of funds.

I. Arrests of Criminals Employing “Cash Receipt Type” by Utilizing Tactics of Pretending to be Deceived

The police are implementing tactics of pretending to be deceived by asking persons who received phone calls from criminals and saw through the ruse to continue pretending to be deceived, and arresting the criminal when he or she shows up at the victim's home or other places to receive the cash. In 2013, 780 criminals were arrested in 682 cases. Based on the same tactics, the police are also carrying out initiatives with the aim of disabling criminal tools by asking mobile phone service providers to confirm subscribers and requesting financial institutions to freeze accounts based on information obtained on mobile phones and savings accounts abused by criminals.

### I I. Damage Prevention and Recovery that Utilized Lists of Businesses Sent Fraudulently Gained Money

Lately, there are a growing number of incidents utilizing “cash delivery remittance” where criminal groups instruct victims to send cash to a designated commercial mail receiving agency or other places via means such as a delivery service. The police uploaded information such as addresses of commercial mail receiving agencies abused onto the National Police Agency website and are extensively calling on people to be alert. Post offices and delivery companies utilize the same list to discover packages containing fraudulently gained money and notify the police.