Updated September 2026 — If funds go to an individual's bank account, it is fraud. Consumer hotline: 188
Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency (Shohisha-cho) has published an alert page on consumer trouble that starts on social media and turns into investment tips or side jobs promising easy money. It says such cases continue across all age groups, and that some of the reported approaches appear to involve impersonation of celebrities and other well-known figures. The scope is wider than fake celebrity accounts. The agency's tally also covers people claiming to be famous commentators, academics, investors or analysts, and even their assistants, apprentices or relatives — so "I am not that person, but I am connected to them" is treated as the same pattern of financial-product solicitation started on social media. The figures are based on PIO-NET, the nationwide system that stores consultations filed with local consumer affairs centres, covering registrations through 31 July 2026. The agency's guidance is short and concrete: doubt any money-making offer you receive on social media; if you are told to send investment funds to an account held in an individual's name, that is fraud and you must not transfer the money; once transferred, recovering the loss is difficult, so do not send funds lightly; and if anything about the explanation feels wrong, consult a consumer affairs centre immediately. It also warns about secondary damage from operators who promise to recover your losses. The National Consumer Affairs Center published a related alert on 1 September 2026.
Foreign residents and travellers in Japan are targeted by exactly the same methods — and they are often at a disadvantage, because contract explanations in Japanese are hard to parse and there may be no one nearby to check how Japan's financial system actually works. A message in your own language, from someone presenting themselves as "a fellow countryman investing in Japan" or "a teacher who knows Japanese tax rules", maps directly onto the "claiming to be an associate" pattern the agency counts. The test does not change with the language: a legitimate financial business does not have you wire investment funds into an account held in a private individual's name. The moment the payee is a personal name, you can walk away. Side-job offers carry a second risk. Depending on your status of residence, you cannot engage in income-earning activity without permission to engage in activity outside your status (shikakugai katsudo kyoka). Taking up an "easy money" offer can affect not only your wallet but your residence status itself.
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Source:
Consumer Affairs Agency website (Beware of "easy money" investment and side-job offers via social media)This article was edited and written by freegent Inc. based on the source above.