Rakuten Securities’ Response to the Surge in Unauthorized Trading Incidents

Lost a fortune due to unauthorized trading of Chinese stocks

Reports of unauthorized stock sales on social media, with “Chinese stocks being purchased,” are spreading.

“I was a victim of unauthorized access to Rakuten Securities, where money was automatically deposited from Rakuten Bank, and Chinese stocks were bought without my consent, leading to a massive loss.”

“My money, which I had saved in Rakuten Bank, was withdrawn without permission, and Hong Kong stocks were bought through Rakuten Securities.”

Stocks held in Rakuten Securities were sold without permission, and unknown Chinese stocks were purchased with the proceeds. Alternatively, money from Rakuten Bank was taken, and Hong Kong stocks were bought—reports of these unsettling incidents continue to surface.

The culprits may have targeted Japan’s March 20th holiday:

“I was attacked at 3:00 PM on the 19th,” some victims reported.

“On the 20th, some tried consulting the police but were told that it would be difficult to make it an official case,'” one person noted.

The concentration of attacks just before a holiday may be aimed at delaying responses and investigations.

Rakuten Securities issued a notice on its website:

“Phishing fraud leading to unauthorized trades is widespread. Please change your trading PIN and set up two-factor authentication.”

However, it does not seem that the victims had significant security lapses.

“Similar tactics have been used in refund scams, where authorities close on weekends, delaying the discovery of the fraud. A user who conducted an investigation suggested the possibility of phishing sites accessed via email, where login and trading PIN details may have been entered.

Nonetheless, reports of issues with Rakuten Securities and Rakuten Bank point to potential security concerns. Many users are furious at being met with poor responses from Rakuten Securities. This situation could escalate into a class-action lawsuit,” said a TV news reporter.

A fraud group manipulated stock prices and sold the stocks they held at inflated prices

Friday Digital contacted Rakuten Securities for fact-checking and to inquire about their future response.

――There have been reports on SNS from users of Rakuten Securities stating that they were logged into their accounts without authorization and that financial products were bought and sold without their consent. Is this true?

“It is true that we have detected an increase in phishing scams since the end of last year. Most of these are believed to be phishing-related, and we have been sending out notifications and emails to raise awareness. We have confirmed that none of these cases were due to any leakage from our side.

It seems that fraudulent groups have been manipulating stock prices through transactions involving illiquid Chinese stocks, selling off stocks they hold at inflated prices to make a profit. However, we can confirm that no customer information has been leaked and no customer assets have been lost.”

――Will the losses from unauthorized logins be compensated?

“In the securities industry, transactions that occur after a customer logs in with their ID and password are generally considered to be the customer’s own transactions and are not subject to compensation. We understand that this is often the case. If there are inquiries, we will individually assess and respond according to the terms and conditions, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, and other applicable regulations.”

――What security measures can users take to prevent unauthorized logins?

“Phishing scams have become very sophisticated recently, and many people may not even realize they’ve fallen victim to them. As a security measure, we strongly recommend using the two-factor authentication we have previously implemented and changing passwords regularly. Additionally, we have introduced risk-based authentication, a measure we had planned to enhance security, as an extra step to strengthen our defenses.”

Fraud groups are targeting our assets using various methods. It seems that knowing the latest tactics and defense measures is crucial.