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【案件詐欺】YouTuber告白「ほぼ全財産失った…」日本は詐欺天国？巧妙な手口とは｜アベプラ — Transcript

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0:01"It won't happen to me." A YouTuber's
0:04confession is now a hot topic. I was
0:08lured into a project scam and lost
0:10almost all my money. I can’t give you
0:15an exact figure, but it’s over a
0:17million yen.
0:22YouTuber Marcharo laments having lost
0:24over a million yen to a project scam. I
0:32received a DM from someone claiming to
0:33be from a beauty company asking me to
0:35promote a product.
0:39A product promotion deal. And they even
0:43said the payment would be upfront.
0:48I entered my account details, and they
0:50actually deposited the money in advance
0:52as requested. But then, that money they
0:57deposited was frozen. I was shocked,
1:00and when I checked, it turned out I’d
1:02made a one-digit mistake in my account
1:04number. They told me that because of
1:07that, the money they had sent in
1:08advance was frozen. To unfreeze it,
1:14they said I had to deposit an equal
1:15amount to guarantee the safety of my
1:17account. You’d think they would have
1:22been suspicious at this point.
1:29Marcharo did as told, believing he’d
1:31made a mistake, but was then told that
1:33money too couldn’t be withdrawn.
1:41Apparently, because of the wrong
1:42account number, my credit score was too
1:44low. So they demanded even more
1:51deposits to raise my credit score.
1:58Thinking it was all my fault, I fell
2:00deeper and deeper into the scammer's
2:02trap.
2:06Marcharo made deposits three times in
2:08total, but in the end, he couldn't
2:09withdraw any of the money.
2:14When he consulted his mother, she made
2:16him realize he was being scammed.
2:21But I didn’t think it was a scam, so
2:22I thought, "Why are you crying? It’s
2:27your own fault," but eventually I went
2:29to the police.
2:31I filed a report with the police.
2:33The government is also taking the rise
2:35in these types of crimes seriously. An
2:38emergency response meeting was held at
2:40the Prime Minister's Office this week.
2:46Well, to combat special fraud, it is
2:48essential that the government works as
2:50one, in cooperation with relevant
2:52businesses like financial institutions
2:53and telecom carriers, to promote
2:55effective measures tailored to the
2:57times. And,
3:03Why was Macharo deceived this time?
3:08What methods did the scammers use to
3:10corner her? I mean,
3:13There’s no way I’m letting some
3:14scum of a scammer steal the money I
3:16worked so hard to save. I just think, "
3:18What an idiot." Now, wait...
3:20Let’s hear it directly from the
3:22person herself.
3:23I just think that.
3:24So, Masasaka-san, what do you think?
3:27Hmm.
3:28It’s pretty awful. I mean, lately,
3:33people like influencers or even my own
3:34friends have had
3:37close calls,
3:38or actually—
3:39Yes.
3:41There are people around me—well,
3:43maybe not super close, but people—
3:44where I wonder why they aren't arrested
3:46even though they're clearly scamming.
3:50It feels like they don't get caught, or
3:51they aren't brought to justice and just
3:53keep running rampant.
3:56So, I really hope that today—I know
3:57it must have been tough, but I really
3:59want this to serve as a warning.
4:01But you see, they come up with such
4:03outrageous evil schemes that regular
4:04people like us can’t even imagine,
4:06right?
4:07That’s right.
4:08So, no matter how much you think about
4:10it,
4:10they come at you from angles you never
4:12even thought of,
4:12so my impression is that it might
4:13actually be the honest people who are
4:15easier to deceive. I’d like to learn
4:16about the tactics they use today.
4:20Yes.
4:23I hope you’ll listen closely. Now,
4:24I’d like to introduce our guests.
4:26First, we have Macharo, a YouTuber and
4:27creator who was swindled out of over
4:28one million yen in a business scam,
4:29losing almost all of her savings.
4:31Macharo-san, thank you for joining us.
4:38Good evening.
4:39Thank you. Next, we have a journalist
4:40who is well-versed in the realities of
4:41scams and malicious business practices
4:42through years of coverage, including
4:43undercover investigations from the
4:44victim's side.
4:45Journalist Tado-san. Tado-san, please.
4:52Nice to meet you. Thank you.
4:56And also joining us, we have Professor
4:58Kimi Nishida from the Faculty of
4:59Psychology, an expert in social
5:01psychology who is well-versed in
5:03criminal psychology. Mr. Nishida, thank
5:05you for being here today.
5:06Yes, good evening. Pleasure to be here.
5:08Good evening.
5:09Now, regarding you, Mr. Marchal, it all
5:11started when you received a business
5:13proposal via an Instagram DM, right?
5:15Yes. What exactly happened? Well, let's
5:17see. I received a DM on Instagram
5:21asking me to promote a certain product,
5:23and they sent a LINE URL saying we
5:25should continue our communication there
5:27, so we started talking on LINE.
5:32First, they introduced me to a platform
5:34,
5:37and they told me that all contracts and
5:39payments would be handled through that
5:41site, so I entered my bank account
5:43number and other information. Yeah.
5:47Then they told me I would receive an
5:49advance payment from the company first.
5:51Yes.
5:52So the advance amount was supposedly
5:54transferred, but then they told me it
5:56had been frozen.
5:57Yes.
5:57They said,
5:58Wait, that sounds suspicious.
5:59And when I asked why,
6:01Yes. they said that one digit in my
6:03account number was wrong.
6:05They told me that,
6:08and in order to unfreeze the funds, I
6:10had to transfer the same amount again.
6:13They told me,
6:15and since I’m the type who tends to
6:17make mistakes, I thought, "Did I really
6:19mess up?" And because it was for work,
6:23I felt I had to hurry, so I went ahead
6:25and transferred it. Then that was
6:29frozen too, and they kept asking for
6:31more, saying things like my credit
6:33score wasn't high enough, so I
6:35transferred money two or three times.
6:42Everything was frozen, and then they
6:44demanded an even larger transfer, but
6:46since it was an amount I couldn't
6:47actually pay, I consulted my mother.
6:53She told me it was a scam, so I went to
6:55the bank and then filed a report with
6:57the police. Is that so? Yes. Was it
7:00only when your mother told you that you
7:02finally realized what was happening?
7:04Well, even after my mother told me, I
7:06still couldn't fully believe it was a
7:08scam.
7:08Yes. Yeah.
7:10Even though the bank and the police
7:12both told me it was a scam,
7:17for a day or two after filing the
7:19report, I still thought I would get my
7:21money back; I was completely trapped in
7:23their scheme. Then, once I calmed down
7:27a bit, I contacted the company I
7:29thought I was working for, and they
7:31said they don't do things like that.
7:33Oh, is that right?
7:34That's what they told me, and that's
7:36when I finally woke up and realized, "
7:37Oh, it really was a scam."
7:39Ah, so it was a fake. Yes, that's what
7:41I mean. I was communicating with
7:43a fake version
7:44of that company. The company names
7:47listed on that platform exist, but they
7:50told me they had no involvement
7:51whatsoever.
7:53That's what I was told when I inquired
7:55through their actual website.
7:57Yes, so I made three transfers, which
7:59sounds crazy, but the first one was
8:00technically processed as them sending
8:02me money. Yes, hearing that is shocking
8:06, but actually, Mr. Marchal here has
8:08done these types of jobs many times
8:10before.
8:12He’s an experienced influencer with
8:14three or four years of experience, and
8:16up until now, this same procedure had
8:18...
8:21Right, I thought it was a bit unusual,
8:23but since there have been
8:26cases where I've used LINE for work,
8:32I just assumed this was a legitimate
8:34form of doing business, and I convinced
8:36myself that transferring money to
8:37restore credibility meant their
8:39security must be thorough.
8:44Yeah. Registering a bank account on a
8:46platform
8:47is just unheard of, isn't it? When
8:49you're doing regular work.
8:51Was that your first time?
8:52Yes. Yes. It was my first time doing
8:56that, but although the format was
8:58slightly different, it’s not like
9:00it’s completely unheard of, so...
9:02Ah.
9:04I’ve used PayPal and various other
9:05payment methods,
9:08so I just assumed this might be one of
9:10those, too. Yeah.
9:11Yes. I hear you firmly believed that
9:13you would never be involved in
9:14something like this, that it could
9:15never happen to you.
9:16Is that right? How do you feel about
9:18that now?
9:18Yes. Well, for me personally, when it
9:21comes to being
9:22scammed, I used to think it would be
9:24easy to tell.
9:27I’d hear about investment scams or
9:29calls from people pretending to be the
9:31police, and just listening to those
9:32stories, I thought, "How could you not
9:34tell that's a scam?"
9:36At least when I was
9:38just listening to other people.
9:41But when you're the one actually in the
9:43situation, you really don't realize
9:44you're caught in a trap.
9:47Yes. That’s what I learned from
9:49experience.
9:49Right, and as you mentioned earlier,
9:51you also have experience receiving
9:53legitimate job offers many times. Plus,
9:55you’re already in the middle of
9:56communicating about the project, so
9:58it’s essentially work.
9:59In that sense,
10:00you felt you shouldn't cause them any
10:02trouble, right? Yes.
10:03That’s right. Also, the fake client
10:07was pushing me, saying things like, "
10:09The contract starts on this day, so I
10:11need to send the products by then,
10:13could you please speed up the paperwork
10:15and payment side?"
10:18Because of that, I ended up feeling
10:20even more rushed.
10:22I see. Was there an actual contract?
10:24When you say "contract side of things"?
10:26Yes. There were standard contracts on
10:29the platform, but I didn't actually
10:31read the details—that was my own
10:32negligence.
10:35Mm-hmm.
10:35That was a factor.
10:37You know, likely...
10:38Yes.
10:38I imagine you're talking about this
10:40while feeling incredibly frustrated.
10:41People think, "I would never be fooled.
10:43" But, Nishida-san,
10:45you’ve said that it's not just about
10:47the person being easily fooled, but
10:48that anyone can be deceived depending
10:50on the situation. Could you explain
10:52that, Nishida-san?
10:53Yes. Well, humans have a certain bias.
10:58It’s a cognitive distortion—the
11:00belief that the cause lies with the
11:02person, not the situation. In other
11:04words, we tend to think there are "
11:06people who get fooled" and "people who
11:08don't." People generally think that
11:11they themselves are safe, and look at
11:13those who have been scammed thinking, "
11:15Is there something wrong with them?"
11:18But that is a mistake. Humans are wired
11:22to trust, so depending on the situation
11:24, anyone can believe something and, in
11:27a sense, end up getting deceived. I
11:30mean, well, how should I put it? If you
11:36look at things assuming they might be a
11:38scam, you can often spot something
11:40strange, but if you don't even think
11:42it's a scam, you won't notice anything.
11:49That's why this time, too, the person
11:51thought, "There's no way I'd be
11:52deceived." Even with scams becoming so
11:57common, there's what we call "normalcy
11:59bias"—the belief that "it couldn't
12:02happen to me"—so it's perfectly
12:03normal not to notice when you're being
12:06targeted. So, it’s not just that you
12:10alone are strange, or that this person
12:13is strange. It's not that there's
12:15something wrong with being deceived; it
12:17just happens. Anyone can have moments
12:20when they are tired or feel flustered.
12:23And the perpetrators do various things
12:25to make you feel flustered, too. They
12:27also try to make you feel guilty, don't
12:29they? So, you become vulnerable, and
12:32you feel like you have to do what they
12:34say or you'll feel bad about it. From
12:39the perpetrator's perspective,
12:41that's something they can easily
12:43exploit. So, by creating a situation
12:44where you're flustered, Nishida-san,
12:46you're saying it's not about people who
12:48are easily fooled, but rather that
12:49there are times when anyone can be
12:51easily fooled, right? Yes. What do you
12:53think?
12:53Well, let's see. Scams are designed to
12:56make your emotions go up and down. By
12:59doing that, they effectively lead you
13:01along, and there is basically a set
13:02goal in mind. Since their goal is to
13:06take your money, they manipulate our
13:07emotions up and down toward that end.
13:11And while you mentioned they were
13:13already convinced, I actually think
13:14they realized it relatively quickly.
13:17There are even people who won't believe
13:19it's a scam—even when told by the
13:21bank or the police—and insist it's
13:22real while trying to withdraw their
13:24money.
13:25They are really that deeply convinced.
13:27So, the point is, if you don't catch it
13:29at the very beginning, you just get
13:31dragged deeper and deeper into it.
13:32Yes. Mr. Marchal said it himself,
13:35didn't he? He nearly turned to consumer
13:36finance, but managed to stop himself
13:38just in time.
13:39Oh, right. That’s a real relief,
13:40isn't it?
13:41That was a close one. You see, this
13:42type of scam always forces the victim
13:44to take on debt.
13:45Yes.
13:45They push you until you reach a point
13:47of no return, so realizing it before
13:49that was huge.
13:50Right.
13:50What do you think, Aka-san?
13:53Is it that they make you take on debt
13:55because it’s like a gamble, where
13:56you’ve invested so much that you want
13:58to win it back?
14:01Exactly. Once you’ve paid out money,
14:04you want it back, and the scammers
14:06understand that perfectly. So, if they
14:09tell you that you can only get it back
14:11by paying more, you fall into a
14:12psychological state where you just pay
14:14it.
14:15Yeah.
14:16What do you think?
14:17I mean, isn't it incredibly hard to go
14:19through life doubting everything? You
14:21want to believe people are good and
14:23that the offers you get are genuine
14:24jobs.
14:25Yeah.
14:27But if it reaches a point where anyone
14:29could become a victim depending on the
14:31situation, we can't just say "it can't
14:32be helped." Even so, you wonder, "What
14:36should I do?" I was listening to this
14:38feeling really anxious.
14:39Well, that's fair. Since the main stage
14:42for this is social media, Mr. Tada says
14:44you should be careful about certain
14:45keywords. Things like "system error" or
14:47"I'll connect you to the support center
14:49." Could you explain a bit more about
14:51that?
14:51Yes. Right. Well, ultimately, there are
14:54certain telltale scam keywords. "We'll
14:56definitely pay you back later."
14:57Ah, "We'll pay you back later." That's
15:00always a lie; every single scammer says
15:02that. Also, they always claim you
15:07entered the wrong account number—that
15:09happened this time, too.
15:11They always fabricate some kind of
15:13mistake. In all likelihood, the account
15:15number was correct.
15:17But the scammers are making it up.
15:20They claim, "You entered the wrong
15:22account number," and they also love to
15:23use "your account is frozen." Oh, every
15:26time I talk to a scammer, my account
15:28gets frozen too. So, I think it’s
15:31safe to assume that whenever you get
15:33those "system error" or "contact
15:35support" messages, it’s just their
15:37usual routine.
15:38Yes. Yes. Now, since you’re used to
15:41being an influencer, why do you think
15:42you’re a target? Mr. Nishimura,
15:44you’ve mentioned that we’re in an
15:45era where influencers are specifically
15:47being targeted. Could you elaborate on
15:49that?
15:49Yes. Well, honestly, how should I put
15:51it? I don’t think this job even
15:53existed. Until just recently.
15:55Oh, I see. But now that this has
16:01emerged, since people are posting a
16:03fair amount of personal info online,
16:05it’s become much easier for criminals
16:07to target them.
16:12Finally, in an age where you can make
16:14money, your expectations rise, right?
16:17And then, an offer comes at just the
16:19right time.
16:20Yes.
16:21I see.
16:21You end up getting too eager.
16:23That’s exactly what they exploit.
16:25Yes. Ah. The business of these projects
16:27is expanding, you could say.
16:29That kind of growth, yes. And so, when
16:32you finally think it’s your chance,
16:34you get anxious. As Mr. Sasaki said
16:38earlier, not wanting to be a burden,
16:40you—
16:41Even though they are the ones who are
16:43actually at fault—
16:44You worry that you’ve made a mistake
16:45and feel like you have to apologize, so
16:47you panic and act without checking
16:49anything.
16:49Yes.
16:50You end up following their instructions
16:52. Ah, Mr. Sasaki, what do you think?
16:54Well, you know, scams in the past used
16:57to be more about casting a wide net,
16:59hoping to catch maybe one out of ten
17:01thousand people, but now, in the age of
17:03SNS, everyone shares so much of their
17:06private information.
17:07Aren't they? Not just influencers, but
17:09regular people too, and because of that
17:11—
17:11I think it’s become possible to
17:12highly personalize these scams. What
17:14kind of family relationships do they
17:15have?
17:15Exactly, that’s right.
17:16What’s their marital status?
17:17You should assume that almost all of
17:18your personal information has already
17:19been taken. So, it’s about narrowing
17:21down the demographics. Exactly, exactly
17:22, exactly, exactly. It's become
17:24possible to tailor unique methods
17:26specifically suited to that individual,
17:29so conversely—
17:30I feel like with social media, we
17:32should be less easily deceived because
17:35information is shared, but instead,
17:37personalization makes it easier to fall
17:39for scams.
17:39Right, exactly. Scam methods are now
17:42essentially customized just for you.
17:44It really feels like the times are
17:46changing, doesn't it?
17:47Well, that's absolutely true. People do
17:49their own research, but in cases like
17:51this one, they're impersonating a
17:53company. And they know you're going to
17:55look them up. They actually count on
17:57you looking them up and confirming it's
17:59a legitimate company as part of the
18:00deception. So, by making you use the
18:02internet to verify them, they're
18:03actually making it easier to trick you.
18:05I think people who think they’re
18:07well-informed are actually more likely
18:09to be deceived.
18:09You get this sense of being "chosen."
18:11In the case of a job offer,
18:13the more famous the company name they
18:14use,
18:15the more you think, "Wow, a big company
18:16like that is reaching out to me?"
18:17Well, exactly. I have to admit, that
18:19was part of the allure. It was a real
18:21company, after all. But, in the end, it
18:23had nothing to do with them, right? Wow
18:25, I totally understand that feeling. I
18:27run a YouTube channel and Twitter, and
18:29the moment you pass a certain threshold
18:31, you start getting tons of those
18:32messages. You think, "Wow, I've finally
18:34reached this level," even though I
18:36don't really do politics or anything.
18:38But the moment you see them clearly
18:39increase, you get excited, so if one
18:41looks like it’s from a famous company
18:43, you just can't stop yourself. I can
18:45relate to that feeling.
18:46But when they say something like your
18:47account has been frozen, that’s not
18:49something you can actually see, right?
18:50Exactly.
18:55Yeah. Looking back now, I wonder why I
18:58didn't verify it, but at the time, I
19:00was really mentally cornered and
19:02feeling quite desperate.
19:06Plus, since it was about work, I felt a
19:09bit hesitant to talk to others about it
19:11.
19:13And I also lacked the knowledge to
19:14realize that "it's for work" doesn't
19:16mean it couldn't be a scam.
19:18Yeah. I see.
19:19So, the thought of looking into it just
19:21didn't cross my mind at all.
19:22Well, you know, they're a celebrity in
19:24those circles. In that sense, toward me
19:26, for instance,
19:28I think there's a stronger feeling of
19:30being "chosen" for that role. How about
19:32that project itself, or rather, that...
19:34Yeah.
19:35Well, but looking into it—just
19:36looking into it makes you better than
19:38most. We were basically from the era of
19:43early influencers, so work came to us
19:45personally, and we dealt directly with
19:46big corporations, often working without
19:48clear contracts or just vague
19:50agreements, and sometimes we wouldn't
19:52even get paid after doing the work.
19:58It was an era where people would just
20:00brazenly do that.
20:02But...
20:02But we were naive. It was our fault.
20:04Like, "Oh, the money didn't come in.""
20:06That's bad." Everyone was like that.
20:08It was just that kind of era.
20:10So, in a way, it was a good learning
20:13experience. That's why I say, "pay in
20:16advance."
20:17Well, first of all...
20:18There are influencers who don't post
20:19after being sent products. From the
20:21company's perspective.
20:22Oh, I see. Getting scammed, in reverse.
20:24The company gets scammed. Companies are
20:27companies, but when you think about it,
20:29why would they pay in advance when
20:30there are influencers who won't even
20:32post after getting the product? It
20:35doesn't make sense.
20:36Right, I see. Checking that...
20:38Yes. So, even though I'm an influencer
20:41myself, I consider the other side. When
20:45you weigh the benefits for the company
20:46and the influencer, paying in advance
20:48is clearly wrong. For example, when
20:52they say your account is "frozen," is
20:54it really necessary to pay those
20:55hundreds of thousands of yen?
20:58You know, when you check if something
21:00is active, there are those overseas
21:02sites...
21:04Where you can check it once for like
21:05100 yen, right? Huh.
21:07So it's actually impossible for it to
21:09cost hundreds of thousands.
21:11Is that so? Start from the small stuff,
21:13check it out, you know.
21:15Yeah. Also, you could just call the
21:18bank, for starters.
21:19If you didn't know, you'd get scammed,
21:21but if everyone watching AbemaPrime
21:23today knows, I think we can actually
21:25handle this.
21:26I see. Wow, that's impressive. But, you
21:29know, you've paved a path where there
21:30was none. I mean,
21:31having fought and gained experience on
21:33both sides,
21:34you’ve really done it. So, while you
21:36might wonder why anyone would get
21:38scammed, I’ve definitely been scammed
21:40myself in the past.
21:41Yes. Ah, I see. Back in the era before
21:44social media, the ad route was mostly
21:46visible through big agencies like
21:48Dentsu, or their subsidiaries. Jobs
21:52would come from places like publishers,
21:55TV stations, newspapers, or big media
21:57firms—places with authority. Yeah.
22:00Yeah. Breaking that structure down was
22:02democratic and a good thing, but
22:04because it was destroyed,
22:05we've entered an era where we don't
22:07really know where jobs are coming from.
22:08Currently, agencies...
22:10Yes. There are countless agencies now,
22:12and sometimes you get legitimate work
22:14offers from companies you've never even
22:16heard of. And on top of that, people
22:19ask if you signed a contract, but
22:21nowadays we just use electronic
22:23contracts like CloudSign.
22:24It comes over the web, right,
22:27and then on the web, you just click an
22:29"OK" button or something.
22:31You can't even tell if that's authentic
22:33, can you?
22:33We do it anyway, though.
22:35We do, but back in the day, things came
22:38in physical paper envelopes, printed
22:40out, maybe with a seal inside,
22:43and you assumed a scammer wouldn't go
22:44through all that trouble. But that
22:46protection is gone. The opposite has
22:52happened—it’s become easier for
22:54scams to proliferate.
22:55Exactly as you say. Scams have become
22:58easier to pull off because the trick is
23:00to mix lies with the truth.
23:02That’s why you can't spot them.
23:05It’s tough, and like this time, as
23:07you just said, it’s an era where
23:09projects come from places other than ad
23:11agencies, so lies get mixed in.
23:14And as you mentioned earlier, there are
23:16always things, for example, that are
23:18common. Like those "90%off" super cheap
23:21deals, right? Companies wouldn't make
23:23any money this way, would they?
23:24Thinking that there must be a catch is,
23:26as you said earlier, a very important
23:28perspective to have.
23:29Thank you very much. So, both the
23:31number of reported cases and the total
23:33damages are increasing year after year.
23:34This refers to fraud as a whole. We're
23:36talking about project-based fraud now,
23:38and it's appearing on your screen.
23:39We've talked about fraud on "Abe-Pla"
23:41so many times I've lost count, yet it
23:44keeps increasing. Mr. Tada says that in
23:46this day and age, they deceive you
23:48through your eyes. Deceive you through
23:50your eyes? Yes. What does that mean?
23:52Well, in the past, special fraud often
23:54targeted the elderly. Now, people in
23:56their 20s and 30s are truly getting
23:58scammed. Before, it was by phone, so
24:01you were deceived through your ears.
24:04Now, with video calls, they deceive you
24:06with your eyes and with images. They
24:08use AI to create human faces and voices
24:10, so it’s become much easier to be
24:12deceived.
24:13Yes. Back then, the Japanese used to be
24:15strange, right? But that’s gone, and
24:16it’s become more polished.
24:17That's right. Emails are the same way.
24:20And another major issue is the manual.
24:23These fraud groups possess a manual and
24:25already have established patterns for
24:27success.
24:29This current project fraud is the same.
24:31They've taken what we call "side-hustle
24:33scams"—which used to target regular
24:35people by promising them they could
24:36earn money—and instead started
24:38targeting influencers. It's the same
24:40scam, just repackaged as a "project"
24:42that claims you'll make money. The
24:44process that follows is all the same.
24:46Demanding you pay the same amount
24:47because you made a mistake, or
24:48insisting you pay a penalty fee—that
24:50part is identical.
24:51Yes. Yes.
24:52We often call these things "special
24:54fraud," but Mr. Nishida says it's not
24:56actually special at all. Mr. Nishida,
24:58go ahead.
24:59Yes. Specialized fraud really started
25:01decades ago with "It's me" scams. Back
25:04then, fraud was usually done
25:06face-to-face, but that's not the case
25:08anymore. It's no longer specialized;
25:11typical fraud is now done remotely.
25:13Yes. So, face-to-face fraud has
25:16actually become quite rare.
25:19In other words, because people don't
25:20know that, and because they associate
25:22these scams with the elderly, they
25:24think it doesn't apply to them.
25:26Especially the younger generation
25:27thinks that way. And in fact, with
25:29recent scams like fake police, many of
25:31the victims are actually young people.
25:32The victims, that is.
25:34So, everyone needs to realize that
25:36every generation is being targeted. The
25:38internet is truly a lawless zone in a
25:40terrifying sense. We have to keep that
25:42in mind.
25:43Yes. Could you perhaps tell us a little
25:47bit about how we can protect ourselves?
25:52My rule is that if money is mentioned,
25:54I just assume it's a scam.
25:56So, should we assume that money is
25:57always the ultimate goal? The target?
25:59In the end, it's always about money.
26:01Of course, absolutely. So, from the
26:04start, if someone says they need money
26:05or they're giving you money, you should
26:07immediately be skeptical and think it
26:09might be a scam. Unfortunately, if you
26:13don't take the time to investigate
26:15thoroughly, you're at risk.
26:17I see.
26:18So it means anyone can be a victim. And
26:20as I mentioned before, especially when
26:22you're tired,
26:24or when you're dealing with some
26:25personal issues,
26:26or when you're busy,
26:28Yeah.
26:29that's when you get caught. Yes. So,
26:31Mr. Yazawa, what do you think?
26:33This says Japan is becoming a fraud
26:35heaven. When we travel abroad, we stay
26:36quite alert, thinking, "Okay, I need to
26:38make sure I don't get scammed." Like
26:40making sure we don't get ripped off
26:42when taking a taxi.
26:43We don't really go about our daily
26:45lives in Japan being constantly on
26:47guard, but hearing this, with so many
26:49cases and none of them getting caught,
26:50it's frustrating. I really want them to
26:54be caught.
26:54Exactly. We are living in an era where
26:57these scams can be orchestrated from
26:58overseas. In other words, they are
27:01flooding into Japan from all over the
27:03world.
27:04Yes.
27:05That is why they are becoming so
27:06numerous. They come from across the sea
27:09.
27:09In the past, it was face-to-face, so
27:11crimes were limited to specific regions
27:13.
27:15But now that AI can handle Japanese so
27:17well, they can target Japan from
27:19anywhere in the world.
27:22And because it's not face-to-face, they
27:24can systematically have multiple people
27:26impersonate just one person. They are
27:29operating in a very organized manner.
27:32Yeah. Yeah.
27:34Is it hard to catch them because they
27:36are coming from overseas, or are they
27:37doing it from within Japan without us
27:39being able to track them?
27:42So you mean they're everywhere?
27:44Yes. It's both. Well, they send scam
27:47calls and emails from overseas, often
27:49from Southeast Asia these days. Then,
27:52they use numerous fraudulent bank
27:54accounts in Japan to have money
27:55transferred and then withdraw it, or
27:57send criminal groups to collect the
27:59cash.
28:01Sometimes it even comes from Africa, so
28:03since it crosses national borders, I
28:05suspect this case is also an overseas
28:07crime, making it quite difficult to
28:09catch them.
28:11Yeah. Marchal, you're an influencer, so
28:16I assume you receive a certain number
28:18of DMs, but for people with regular
28:20jobs, what kind of scam routes do they
28:22face?
28:25Well, DMs are definitely the most
28:27common. Many people are receiving
28:29messages asking if they want a side
28:30hustle to make some extra pocket money.
28:33Yeah. Regarding those DMs, there's the
28:36main account, right? If you look
28:39closely at that account, there are red
28:41flags like hidden like counts, strange
28:43comments, or followers that are all
28:45foreigners, but how should one identify
28:47them?
28:49Well, they are often just random
28:50foreigners. The accounts themselves, I
28:52mean. Yeah, we actually get quite a lot
28:54of direct messages from those types of
28:56accounts. As you said, the follower
28:58count is just wiped out, so it’s low.
29:01You’re absolutely right.
29:02So, we should probably be suspicious
29:04and assume it's a scam if the number is
29:06low. That would be ideal, but lately it
29:09seems they're buying influencers, so
29:11it’s tricky. It's a rare case, but
29:15that does happen.
29:18Speaking of which, when we talk about
29:20scams, I have a way to spot them. Since
29:24followers can be bought, I check the
29:25followers if an account looks
29:27suspicious.
29:28When looking at the followers, I first
29:30notice a lot of foreign names.
29:32Then I click on those foreign names
29:33first. If their following count is odd
29:38or they only have one post, they’re
29:40almost all bots. Any account followed
29:45by those is usually a dead account, so
29:47it’s a scam.
29:49Ah, I see. That means you’re doing a
29:52great job.
29:52That’s exactly right, and I actually
29:54have experience being scammed myself.
29:58Well, it was on purpose, but you really
30:00go that far in your daily routine,
30:02don't you? That's amazing. Checking
30:05things to that extent...
30:06Yeah. If there’s someone suspicious,
30:09I’ll check who they follow, their
30:10followers, and all our mutual friends.
30:12Wow, that's impressive. Your experience
30:15really makes a difference.
30:16Now, Mr. Hachimachi, is there anything
30:18else you’d like to share here?
30:20Well, let's see. I really felt that
30:23knowing the types of scams is important
30:25. I didn't know about these job-offer
30:29scams myself.
30:31That’s why I ended up in this
30:32situation.
30:33I truly believe that ignorance is a
30:35crime.
30:36If I had just heard a little whisper
30:38about it,
30:40I think it would have been different if
30:41I’d had an inkling. Because I didn't
30:45know, I got scammed. I really think
30:50that knowing about these things can
30:51prevent them and stop the damage.
30:54Yes. So, please keep sharing this
30:57experience of yours.
30:59You’ll just have to earn it back
31:00through that revenue.
31:01Turn this into content.
31:02Yes.
31:03At the very least, thanks to what
31:04you’ve shared today, I think the
31:05number of victims will drop
31:06significantly. Oh, it’s all thanks to
31:08your platform. Ma-san, any final words?
31:10Well, it just means we need to start
31:12sending out messages directed at
31:13influencers too. There are surely many
31:15younger ones out there who want to work
31:17in a healthy environment and aren't bad
31:18people, and there are opportunities
31:20just waiting out there. Direct messages
31:22, you know. They aren't all bad, so we
31:25at AbemaPrime will do our best to share
31:27ways to be careful.
31:28Yes.
31:31I'm Naoyuki Hiraishi, host of
31:33AbemaPrime. Thank you for watching.
31:38Please take this opportunity to
31:39subscribe to our channel. Ri

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