Common Scams Targeting Foreigners in Japan and How to Avoid Them

Quick answer (30 seconds): Foreigners in Japan get hit by a predictable set of scams — fake apartment listings and "pay the deposit now" rental fraud, fake jobs that promise visa sponsorship, crypto and SNS "investment" pitches, romance scams that pivot to money, and phone scams where someone claims to be the police, immigration, or your bank. The single rule that defeats almost all of them: real authorities, landlords, and banks never demand an urgent payment, gift cards, crypto, or your cash card by phone or chat. If you are pressured to act fast and stay quiet, it's a scam. Free help: call 188 (Consumer Hotline), #9110 (police non-emergency consultation), or 110 for emergencies.

Disclaimer: This is general consumer-safety information, not legal advice. If you have lost money or your residence status may be affected, confirm your situation with the police, the Consumer Affairs Agency, or the Immigration Services Agency directly using the official numbers below.

Why foreigners are targeted

Scammers look for people who are new to local rules, unsure who the "real" authority is, and often operating in a second language. A demand that a long-term resident would laugh off — "the police need you to move your money to a safe account" — can sound plausible if you don't yet know how Japanese institutions actually work. Add the language barrier and isolation from family, and you become a higher-value target.

This is not a small problem. Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) tracks a category called special fraud (tokushu sagi, the phone-and-impersonation scams below). In 2025 both case counts and losses rose sharply year-on-year, and fake-police-officer fraud became the single fastest-growing type, driven by callers who pressure victims to "protect" their savings. Separately, SNS-based investment and romance fraud have exploded. None of this is unique to foreigners — but several of these scripts are aimed squarely at non-Japanese residents.

The one rule that beats almost every scam

Before the catalog, memorize this. In Japan, legitimate organizations do not:

• Ask you to pay a fee, fine, or "deposit" in gift cards, prepaid cards, crypto, or convenience-store payment codes.
• Tell you to withdraw cash or move money to a "safe account" to protect it.
• Demand you read out your cash-card PIN, or send someone to your home to "collect" your card.
• Threaten immediate arrest or deportation unless you pay right now and tell no one.

The police, immigration, tax office, and your bank will never do these things over the phone. If any of them appear, stop, hang up, and verify independently.

1. Rental, deposit, and fake-listing scams

How it works. A too-good apartment appears on a marketplace or social-media group aimed at foreigners. The "landlord" or "agent" is abroad, can't show you the unit, but will hold it if you wire a deposit or first month's rent today. The listing is fake (often photos stolen from a real listing), or the unit doesn't exist.

Recognize it.

• You're asked to pay before seeing the property in person or signing a proper contract.
• Payment is by bank transfer to a personal account, crypto, or an unusual app.
• The agent avoids meeting and pressures you with "another applicant is interested."

What to do. Use a registered real-estate agent (fudosan) with a physical office; legitimate move-in fees are paid against a signed lease, not wired to hold a listing. Never send a deposit for a place you haven't viewed. See our housing and daily life hub for how legitimate move-in costs and contracts work.

2. Fake job and visa-sponsorship scams

How it works. A "recruiter" offers a job that conveniently includes visa sponsorship, then asks for an up-front "processing," "training," or "visa application" fee — or asks for your passport and residence-card details to "start the paperwork." Some are pure money grabs; others harvest your identity or rope you into illegal work.

Recognize it.

• You're asked to pay to get the job, or to pay a sponsor for a Certificate of Eligibility.
• The "employer" wants your passport, My Number, or residence card before any real interview or contract.
• Vague company, pressure to decide fast, salary that's too high for the role.

What to do. A genuine employer does not charge you to be hired, and immigration paperwork fees go to the government, not a middleman. Verify the company exists and has a real address. For how legitimate work and status-of-residence basics fit together, see work and study. If a "sponsor" demands cash, treat it as fraud.

3. Investment and crypto scams

How it works. Often it starts as a friendly SNS or messaging-app contact (sometimes after a "wrong number" text) who gradually introduces a can't-lose investment, crypto platform, or trading app. Early small "profits" are shown to build trust; then you're encouraged to deposit more. When you try to withdraw, there are sudden "taxes" or "fees," and eventually the platform vanishes.

Recognize it.

• Guaranteed or unusually high returns, urgency, and a private "mentor."
• A trading app or website you can only reach via a link they sent.
• You must pay a fee/tax to withdraw your own "profits."

What to do. No legitimate investment is guaranteed. Only use brokers and exchanges registered with Japan's Financial Services Agency, and never let a stranger from chat direct your money. For account and payment basics, see money and cards.

4. Romance and SNS scams

How it works. A warm online relationship builds over weeks on a dating or social app. The person is always unable to meet, then hits a crisis — a medical bill, a customs fee on a gift, a stuck money transfer — and needs your help. Or the romance smoothly becomes an "investment opportunity" (see above), a pattern police now track as SNS romance fraud.

Recognize it.

• Fast intensity, but they never video-call or meet in person.
• A money request always follows, framed as an emergency or an opportunity.
• They steer you off the platform to a private channel.

What to do. Never send money or crypto to someone you have not met in person. A reverse image search of their photos often exposes a stolen identity. Stop contact and report it.

5. Phone scams: fake police, fake immigration, fake bank ("ore-ore" family)

This is the special fraud family that drives Japan's biggest losses, and the scripts increasingly target foreigners.

How it works.

• Fake police / fake prosecutor: a caller (sometimes a fake video call showing a "uniform") says you're linked to a crime or money laundering and must "prove your innocence" by moving all your money to a designated account, or hand over cash to an officer who'll come to you. This was the fastest-growing scam type in 2025.
• Fake immigration: an automated or live call claims a problem with your residence status or that your number will be suspended, then transfers you to a "case officer" who demands payment or your personal and banking details.
• Refund fraud (kanpukin sagi): a "city office" or "pension" caller says you're owed a refund and walks you to an ATM — where the buttons they tell you to press actually send your money to them.
• Ore-ore / family emergency: a caller posing as a relative in trouble needs cash urgently. (Less common for foreigners, but worth knowing.)

Recognize it.

• Any government body or bank asking you to move money, buy cards, or operate an ATM on their instructions.
• Threats of arrest, deportation, account suspension, or fines unless you pay immediately and tell no one.
• A caller who switches you between "departments" or insists on staying on the line.

What to do. Hang up. Real police, immigration, and tax offices never collect money or move your savings by phone, and never send someone to your home for your cash card. If unsure, hang up and call back on an official published number — not one the caller gave you. Then call #9110 to consult, or 110 if you feel in danger.

6. Phishing, fake SMS, and ATM fraud

How it works. A text or email impersonates a delivery company, your bank, a card issuer, a tax office, or even an immigration body, with a link to a fake login page that steals your password and card details. Some messages claim a "suspended account" or "unpaid customs fee." Once you log in on the fake site, they drain the account or make purchases.

Recognize it.

• An unexpected link asking you to "verify," "update payment," or "release a package."
• Slightly-wrong sender addresses and URLs; urgent, threatening tone.
• Requests for your full card number, PIN, or one-time passcode.

What to do. Don't tap links in unexpected messages — go to the company's app or type the official address yourself. Banks and card issuers never ask for your PIN or full password. Turn on transaction alerts and use the official banking app. For safe account and card habits, see money and cards.

Official hotlines (save these)

Situation	Call	Notes
Immediate danger, crime in progress	110	Police emergency. 119 is fire/ambulance.
Not an emergency, "is this a scam?" advice	#9110	Police consultation line (non-emergency).
Consumer trouble, fraud, bad contract, refunds	188	Consumer Hotline ("Iyaya!"), routes you to a local consumer center. Mainly Japanese.
Visitors/tourists, multilingual consumer help	03-5449-0906	Consumer Hotline for Tourists (NCAC). English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, French, Japanese. Weekdays only.

If you're not sure which to use: 110 for danger, 188 or #9110 for "this feels like a scam — what do I do?" The Consumer Hotline for Tourists is the easiest multilingual option for shopping/contract problems if your Japanese is limited.

A 30-second self-check before you pay or click

1. Is someone rushing me and telling me to keep it secret? (Scam pressure.)
2. Is a "bank / police / immigration / city office" asking me to move money, buy cards, or use an ATM? (They never do.)
3. Am I paying before seeing the apartment, meeting the employer, or signing a real contract?
4. Did this come from an unexpected message or a stranger online?
5. Can I verify it independently by calling an official number I looked up myself?

If any answer worries you, stop and call 188 or #9110. Slowing down is free, and it's exactly what scammers can't survive.

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Sources / last updated (2026-06-25): National Police Agency (NPA) special-fraud and SNS investment/romance fraud reporting; Consumer Affairs Agency (Consumer Hotline 188); National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan (Consumer Hotline for Tourists, 03-5449-0906); NPA emergency 110 and police-consultation #9110. Hotline numbers verified against official sources on 2026-06-25. Scam tactics evolve — when in doubt, verify with the authority directly using a number you look up yourself.