Online scams in which victims are deceived
into taking part in long friendly e-mail conversations that eventually cause
them to lose money are increasing rapidly across Japan.
The
websites, many of which are paid online dating or job-hunting sites that are
based on e-mail exchanges, have been collectively labeled "sakura
(decoy) websites" due to the means their operators use to scam their
victims. When people register to one of these websites, they are later
approached by a "user" of the website, who is actually a decoy. In
a series of e-mails, the victims are tricked into endless
"friendly" talks.
The
victims are not aware at the time that the more e-mails they exchange with
the decoy, the more money they are later demanded to pay for using the
websites.
Among
common deception techniques "sakura websites" use is making people
believe that those they exchange e-mail with wish to befriend them or that
they have enough money to invest in their businesses or projects if they
become acquainted. That tricks them into sending as many e-mails as possible,
which the operators of the scam websites make money from.
According
to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan (NCAC), the number of cases
of financial loss of over 10 million yen that have been caused by using sites
of this type has increased drastically since 2009. While there were 77 such
cases in fiscal 2009, and 104 in fiscal 2010, the number had increased to 130
by fiscal 2011 (temporary estimation as of April 17), with some 3.7 billion
yen scammed from victims in fiscal 2011 alone.
Among
victims who have reported their cases, the largest amount of money, scammed
from a female in her 40s in December 2011, stood at some 80 million yen.
Another
victim, a woman in Gifu Prefecture also in her 40s, was deceived into paying
some 44.6 million yen in total. According to Tomo Koizumi, a lawyer she
consulted with about the case, she was tricked into making the excessive
payments after she thought she was responding to a person in need.
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