[If seafood you declined arrives cash on delivery] Refuse it and do not pay: Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center warned on Oct 28; 63.7% of contracting parties are 70+, and December was the peak in FY2025

If a phone salesperson pushes seafood ("crab on sale for the year-end"), you say no, and a parcel still arrives cash on delivery (COD), refuse it and do not pay. On October 28, the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan warned about seafood telephone sales and unsolicited shipments ahead of the year-end season.

Complaints tend to rise toward year-end (per the Center). In fiscal 2025, December had the most (545; the other months ranged from 260 to 433). By age of the person who signed up, people in their 70s or older were 2,600 cases, 63.7%, and people in their 60s were 829 cases, 20.3% (of 4,082 cases where age is known). In fiscal 2026 there were 1,075 through September 30, fewer than the same period a year earlier (1,752), but the season when complaints tend to rise is about to begin.

If you have a parent or grandparent living alone in Japan, pass this on. The way in is a sales phone call. Even if they believe "I already said no", a parcel can still arrive later.

How the scheme runs (from the Center's cases)

• ▸① A sales call: "Crab and seafood on year-end sale" or "a campaign at a tourist-town market", stressing a good price
• ▸② First parcel is COD: if you agree, it arrives cash on delivery. In the cases, people paid about 20,000 yen
• ▸③ A second deal: some time later, the same company calls. They say "you signed up for two orders", "we will add a bonus bag", or "the paperwork for a second order was in the first box", and in one case hung up before the person could answer
• ▸④ It arrives anyway: parcels were shipped COD even after the person refused by phone, or cancelled and was told "understood". In one case, refusing delivery brought an angry call threatening a damages claim

What to do in each situation (the Center's advice)

• ▸A parcel you declined arrives COD: explain to the delivery person, refuse it, and do not pay. Note the sender's name and address in case you need advice later
• ▸You already paid and took it: if it was sent unilaterally you do not have to pay and can ask the company for a refund. Recovery can be hard if the company becomes unreachable, so call 188 early
• ▸You said yes on the phone: this counts as a telephone sales contract. Within 8 days of receiving the legally required document, you can cancel under the cooling-off rule, in writing or by email
• ▸Told you signed for a second order: check whether that was explained when you agreed, and read the documents they sent. If it differs from what you were told, or you do not accept it, consult a consumer center early
• ▸Shouted at, or threatened with damages: do not promise or pay on the spot. You can say "I am not buying" and hang up; the Center notes that is effective when refusing feels hard

Note: how cooling-off and "unsolicited goods" apply depends on whether you ordered or signed anything and whether you agreed by phone. This article cannot tell you whether a particular contract is valid. If unsure, call 188 and ask a consumer center.

One more point the Center stresses: tell your family or people around you when a sales call comes in, so that someone who does not know the situation does not accept a COD parcel and pay for it.

What you can do today

• ✓★Call a parent who lives apart and say: "If anyone phones about seafood, do not buy on the spot. Do not accept a COD parcel; call me first."
• ✓Make it a rule to tell the family the same day a sales call comes in. If the family does not know, someone may accept the COD parcel
• ✓For a "sale" or "campaign" call from a company you do not know, say "I am not buying" and hang up. When refusing is hard, that is enough
• ✓Keep any documents or delivery slips that arrive. With the sender's name and address on hand, it is easier to get advice
• ✓Write the help numbers next to the phone. The Consumer Hotline 188 (connects to your local consumer center in Japan) and the police advice line #9110

If you have already been caught

• ✓Do not pay for anything you did not order or agree to. If told there is a "second" order, check whether that was explained when you agreed, and read the documents. If you are not sure whether you agreed, call 188 before paying
• ✓Consider cooling-off within 8 days. Count from the day you received the legally required document. The Center's page explains how to write the notice
• ✓Call 188. It connects to your local consumer center in Japan. Family members, home helpers and community support center staff can also call on the person's behalf
• ✓If you are frightened by threats, call #9110 or go to a police station. In an emergency, call 110

If you share this, share these 3 lines

• ▸Seafood phone sales and unsolicited shipments rise at year-end (National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, Oct 28). About 6 in 10 of the people who signed up are in their 70s or older
• ▸★If a parcel you declined arrives COD, refuse it and do not pay. It is fine to say "I am not buying" and hang up
• ▸If unsure, call the Consumer Hotline 188; if frightened, the police line #9110. Tell your family the same day a sales call comes in

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