[If the Police Say "The Account You Paid Was Used in Fraud"] From Nov 9, Police and 30 Financial Institutions Share Data Nationwide | Special Fraud Hit 33,329 Cases and ¥261.04 Billion in Jan-Sep; Beware Fake Follow-Up Calls

Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) announced that its "information-sharing cooperation," in which police and financial institutions share information on accounts used in fraud, will run nationwide from November 9, 2026. The NPA has agreements with 30 financial institutions, including city banks and internet-only banks. The aim is to find people who have paid money into an account used in fraud (people about to become victims) and have the police contact them. The police may contact you or a family member (the material does not say how). Learn now how to check for yourself that such a contact is real.

How to read the numbers: The NPA's provisional figures for special fraud from January to September 2026 are 33,329 cases (+3,299, +11.0% year on year) and ¥261.04 billion in losses (+¥48.39 billion, +22.8%). From 2026 the NPA counts "fake police fraud" and "SNS investment and romance fraud" as methods of special fraud. These are provisional figures and may change in later tallies.

The NPA's announcement (dated November 5, 2026)

• ▸Background: Special fraud losses in 2025 were ¥325.74 billion, the worst ever. The NPA material says bank transfers account for 56.9% of how victims' money was handed over (it does not state which period this covers), so bank accounts remain the main channel. The NPA says closer cooperation between police and financial institutions is urgent
• ▸What the cooperation is: A framework started by Saitama prefectural police in October 2024 and expanded to police nationwide, in which prefectural police and regional banks share information on accounts used in fraud (accounts that received victims' money)
• ▸How it works: Police give financial institutions the account information they learned from victims' reports. Using its own transfer data, the institution finds customers who sent money to that account (people who have not yet realized they were victims) and informs the police. The police contact those customers to prevent further loss
• ▸Nationwide operation: The NPA gathers the information from the 47 prefectural police forces and provides it in one place to the institutions with agreements. Operation starts on November 9
• ▸How the police make contact (phone, a visit, or otherwise) is not stated in the material.

Numbers by method (January-September 2026, provisional)

• ▸SNS investment fraud: 7,580 cases, ¥99.10 billion. Up 28.1% in cases and 27.2% in losses year on year
• ▸Fake police fraud: 7,334 cases (-4.1% year on year), ¥84.28 billion in losses (+25.6%). Cases fell, but losses rose
• ▸SNS romance fraud: 4,005 cases, ¥36.65 billion
• ▸Fictitious billing fraud: 4,718 cases, ¥10.79 billion. "Ore-ore" (family emergency) fraud: 3,143 cases, ¥11.60 billion. Refund fraud: 2,311 cases, ¥5.12 billion

The worry: this system being used for fake follow-up contacts

This part is our own caution, not something in the NPA material. Once it becomes widely known that the police may contact people, fraudsters may pose as that contact. The NPA already advises the following about fake police fraud.

• ▸The police do not tell you by phone that you are under investigation, do not contact you through messaging apps, and do not send images of a police ID or an arrest warrant
• ▸Never call back the number the caller gave you
• ▸Do not trust a police station's main number just because it appears on your screen. Fraud that spoofs the numbers of police headquarters and stations has been confirmed
• ▸If you feel uneasy, call the police consultation line #9110

What to do today

• ✓★If someone says "the account you paid may be a fraud account," hang up first. You can think afterward. A genuine contact would not rush you to act on the spot (this is our view)
• ✓★Call back only a number you looked up yourself. Do not use the number the caller gave you or one from your call history. For your bank, use the contact printed on your passbook or cash card. For the police, use the nearest station or #9110
• ✓If anyone asks over the phone for your PIN, a one-time password, or to hand over your cash card, treat it as fraud at that point. The NPA's material does not say police or banks make such requests, and no genuine procedure needs you to hand these to a caller (this is our view)
• ✓Talk to family or people around you before sending money. Stop and consult especially when the request comes from someone met on social media, an investment pushed by a stranger, or a transfer for romance
• ✓Install the app the NPA recommends. The NPA recommends an app as a phone-fraud measure you can use on a smartphone
• ✓Tell parents and older relatives these 3 lines too. Let them know in advance that a contact may come from November 9

Where to get help

When you suspect fraud but it is not an emergency, the police consultation line #9110. If you are being victimized right now or safety is at risk, call 110. If you have already sent money, contact your bank and the police right away; the Consumer Hotline 188 (it connects you to the nearest consumer center) can also help. These numbers are for Japan only.

If you share this, share these 3 lines

• ▸From November 9, police and 30 financial institutions share data on accounts used in fraud nationwide. People who paid into such accounts may be contacted by the police (NPA). Special fraud in January-September 2026: 33,329 cases, ¥261.04 billion
• ▸★If told "the account you paid is a fraud account," hang up. Call back only a number you looked up. Do not trust the number the caller gave you or a police station number shown on screen
• ▸Never give a PIN or cash card over the phone. If unsure, call #9110 or a police station. For money questions, 188

What we could not confirm

• ▸How the police contact customers. Whether by phone, a visit or otherwise is not stated in the NPA material
• ▸Whether your own bank is covered. The 30 institutions are named in the annex on page 2 of the NPA PDF (including Mizuho, MUFG, Sumitomo Mitsui, Resona, PayPay, Rakuten and Japan Post banks). I cannot tell from it whether a bank not on that list is covered, so ask your bank
• ▸Whether frauds posing as this cooperation have actually appeared. The sources I could check describe none; the caution in this article is our own view
• ▸Figures after September 2026. The latest I could confirm is the provisional figure through September

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