Japan police to share scam account data nationwide to prevent damage

Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) said on Nov 5 it will begin sharing details of accounts used in scams with 807 financial institutions nationwide from next week to prevent victims from paying further after their initial payments to such accounts are found.While local police have shared details of accounts used for online and phone scams with financial institutions in their prefectures, the new nationwide system will help them respond faster to cases involving victims and scammers from different regions, which is difficult to tackle, the agency said.Losses from such scams reached a provisional 261 billion yen (S$2.17 billion) during the January-September period and are on course to exceed 2025’s record 325.7 billion yen, according to the agency.Money through bank transfers accounted for 54.9% of the total amount of damages, the agency said. In such cases, scammers often gain victims’ trust and persuade them to send money repeatedly.Under the nationwide system, the NPA will compile account information reported to police by scam victims from across the country.If a participating financial institution detects a money transfer to a scam account, it will alert the NPA. The agency will then arrange for local officers to visit the person who transferred the money and warn them about the scam.Police in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, launched a similar measure locally in October 2024.Prefectural police already have agreements with 792 financial institutions, including regional banks. The NPA signed agreements on Nov 5 with such major banks as Sumitomo Mitsui Banking ahead of the system’s launch. KYODO NEWS