17 billion yen in damage in just 3 months… The full story of the “police officer spoofing scam phone calls” received by reporters.

A spoofed phone call to a reporter

One day in June, a Friday Digital reporter received a call on her cell phone. The display showed an overseas number beginning with +80. When he answered, a man claiming to be ” 00 of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Investigation Section 2″ answered. He confirmed the reporter’s last name,

We are conducting a joint investigation of a fraud case with the prefectural police in 00 (the reporter’s hometown). Do you remember anything about this? When I told him that I had no recollection of anything, he continued, “That’s strange.

There is a fear that your account has been used for a crime. Therefore, I would like you to come to the 00 prefectural police station for investigation.

Why would he go to the trouble of traveling to another prefecture for a voluntary interview? When I asked him this question, he persistently raised my concerns, saying, “We are conducting a top-secret investigation, and you are a target of the investigation.

After a short conversation, he said, “Please wait while I put you on the line with a representative from the prefectural police. We would like you to appear before the prefectural police by the end of the day.

What was clever was that he interspersed dialects and peculiar phrases used in the reporter’s hometown, and emphasized wording that stirred up anxiety. The use of words that resonate with people who have some knowledge and insight into criminal cases is skillful.

The caller also stated, “If you refuse to appear, there is a possibility that you will be detained. The caller also said, “If you refuse to appear, you may be detained. At this point, the reporter was convinced it was a scam. It would be difficult for him to appear at the prefectural police station, which is far away, on top of the voluntary interview. When I asked for details about the charges on which I would be detained, he began to solicit personal information, this time asking me for my full name and date of birth, which would be necessary for the investigation.

If he is listed as a material witness, shouldn’t his full name be known to us?　I have an acquaintance in the 00 Prefectural Police Department. Can you tell me your full name, rank, and affiliation again?

When I fired back like this, he retorted , “You don’t mind being arrested, do you?” He was furious. After a few more heated exchanges of words, the phone was disconnected.

Metropolitan Police Department Increases Vigilance

In April last year, the Metropolitan Police Department established the “Special Fraud Task Force” in response to a number of fraudulent calls pretending to be from police officers, and according to its website, as of the end of March 2025, the amount of damage from special fraud amounted to 27.6 billion yen, of which 17.1 billion yen was from people claiming to be police officers. The amount of damage is increasing every year, and the Metropolitan Police Department is becoming increasingly vigilant.

Although the “police impersonation scam” itself is a classic technique, I was surprised by the well-designed manual and the convincing performance of the “caller” when I actually experienced a fraudulent call.

If one thinks about it calmly, there are a number of “holes,” such as the fact that the call was made from an international phone, the incorrect use of the word “detention,” and the blabbering of investigative information, but I was convinced that some people would be deceived if they were made to feel insecure by such a forceful call. I was convinced that some people would be deceived if they were made to feel insecure by that kind of power.

When a Friday Digital reporter interviewed a scam group about special scams, one of the group’s executives told us, “We’ve been warned about these scams so much, we’re not sure how many people are going to be fooled.

The reason is that people are still being deceived even after so many warnings and spreading of special scam tactics.　It is because there are a certain number of people with high pride who are overconfident that they will never be cheated. Such people are the biggest suckers.

Don’t answer suspicious calls. It is simple, but this is the best policy.