Unexpected Deposit, Then a Call to "Send It Back": Do Not Refund or Forward

Hello! I am Shemhazai, the Sentinel.
Today: money you do not recognize appears in your account, and a caller says "give it back".
The conclusion: leave the money alone, do not refund or forward it on the caller's say-so, and contact your bank yourself through its official number.

First, the result of the fact check. I could find no official warning describing this scheme itself (an unrecognized deposit followed by a phone call; leaked accounts being targeted; use for money laundering) on the pages of Japan's National Police Agency (NPA), Financial Services Agency (FSA), National Consumer Affairs Center or the major banks I checked. This article does not treat "this is happening" as established fact.
Related facts I could confirm: on 10 June 2026 the NPA promulgated an amendment to the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, and from 10 July tougher penalties for illegally transferring accounts and a new penalty for the "remittance offense" (making others send money on to another account) have applied. Japan Post Bank issued a warning on 2 July about calls demanding a transfer on the pretext of an account freeze, updated on 10 September.

Fact check: what official sources confirm, and what they do not

• ▸Confirmed: returning money that has already been deposited goes through a "kumimodoshi" (return) request that the sender makes to their bank, with the recipient's consent (Japan Post Bank FAQ). I found no guidance saying you should refund the caller directly.
• ▸Confirmed: banks have procedures for deposits you do not recognize. MUFG Bank says to check the statement, then call your branch yourself; PayPay Bank describes a procedure that passes the recipient's phone number to the sender (which can end in a return request).
• ▸Confirmed: "forwarding money you received to another account" can now be a punishable act under certain conditions (NPA; in force 10 July 2026; see below).
• ▸Confirmed: calls demanding a transfer, with an account freeze as the pretext, are circulating (Japan Post Bank). Japan Post Bank states it never asks for a transfer by phone because of an account freeze.
• ▸Not confirmed: an official warning about "an unrecognized deposit followed by a phone call asking for a refund".
• ▸Not confirmed: that "leaked accounts are mainly targeted". I found no official material saying a leak is the cause.
• ▸Not confirmed: the number of cases or the amount lost to this scheme. I found no published figures.

Return an unrecognized deposit through the bank

• ▸Returning money already deposited needs the recipient's consent. Japan Post Bank's FAQ says that if the money is already in the recipient's account, a return "cannot be done without the recipient's consent". It also says a fee applies whether or not the return succeeds.
• ▸Check the statement first, then call your branch if it is still unclear. MUFG Bank says to call the branch yourself and that it calls back on the number you registered. Use the number on your passbook or card, or on the bank's official site (our own note).
• ▸There is a procedure in which the bank sits in the middle. PayPay Bank offers a procedure that passes the recipient's phone number to the sender (FAQ for businesses and sole proprietors). The sender may not contact you, and it can end in a return request.
• ▸So there is no reason to give in when a caller says "return it right now". A proper refund is a procedure through the bank that can take its time (our view).

Accounts used as a money pipeline: the "remittance offense" the NPA made punishable

In its June 2026 material the NPA says that, besides acquiring accounts from others to launder money, a new method has appeared in which someone is asked to carry out the laundering for the organizers. It calls this an "evasive act", because not handing over the account avoids the existing penalties for account sales. The NPA prefers the term "remittance offense", noting that the slang "remittance part-time job" makes joining sound casual.

• ▸Typical method (NPA material): (1) recruitment on social media, non-face-to-face, with a message like "just forward the money that arrives in your account and earn 50,000 yen"; (2) you give your account number; (3) victims of special fraud and others transfer money into that account, and you send the amount, minus your pay, to a designated account. Payment is the norm, and the person keeps using their own account.
• ▸Penalties: a person who carries it out on request faces up to 2 years' imprisonment or a fine of up to 3 million yen (or both); if repeated, up to 3 years or 5 million yen (or both). People who request it or recruit for it are also covered.
• ▸What is excluded: acts with a "justifiable reason" and acts that are not paid ("for value"). The material gives examples such as a group leader collecting a dinner bill and paying the restaurant.
• ▸Figures showing the scale: a report published by the NPA (December 2025) says there were 4,362 cleared cases (kenkyo) of illegal transfers of accounts and the like (violations of Article 28 of the Act) in 2024, about 3.5 times the 1,260 in 2011, when penalties were last raised. Financial institutions suspended or forcibly closed 128,301 accounts used in crimes in fiscal 2024, about three times the 40,639 in fiscal 2011.

The "remittance offense" concerns people who answered a recruitment ad; it is a different scheme from an unrecognized deposit followed by a phone call. What they share is the shape of being made to forward money that landed in your account. If you sent an unrecognized deposit on to another account because a caller told you to, it would take the same shape (our view). Whether it is punishable depends on conditions such as "for value" and "justifiable reason", and this article does not judge that. That is exactly why you should not send it yourself, and leave it to the bank.

Treat every call that demands a transfer as suspect

• ▸Japan Post Bank case 1: a caller said "I am the operations staff at the Japan Post Bank Kobe branch" and "send 5 million yen to the designated account right away or your account will be frozen". The caller ID was spoofed and showed the Kobe branch's number, and the bank warns that even a real number on the screen does not mean the call is from Japan Post Bank.
• ▸Japan Post Bank case 2: an automated voice says "there is important news; press 0 to confirm", and after you press it an operator tries to get your name, date of birth and passbook number.
• ▸What Japan Post Bank says: it never calls to demand a transfer because of an account freeze, and never asks for PINs or other key personal information. It urges people not to answer or press buttons on such calls.
• ▸FSA warning: some scams tell victims of earlier fraud that their money will be returned and steer them to an ATM. The FSA says "Do not transfer right away. Do not transfer alone." Check the facts and consult someone close to you, the police or your financial institution.

What you can do today

• ✓★Do not touch an unrecognized deposit. Do not withdraw it, spend it or send it on. The legal treatment depends on the circumstances, so leave the judgment to your bank and the police (our note).
• ✓Do not refund or forward it to the caller. Even if you hear "I sent it by mistake, return it now", "I will pay the fee" or "I will thank you for it", do not send money to the caller's account. If asked for your account number, do not give it.
• ✓Contact your bank yourself. Use the number on your passbook or card, or on the bank's official site, and do not call back the number in your call history (caller IDs can be spoofed). Keep the date, amount and sender name of the deposit at hand.
• ✓Hang up on suspicious calls. Even if told "your account will be frozen" or "you have broken the law", do not transfer money during the call. Japan Post Bank states it never asks for a transfer by phone because of an account freeze. With any other bank or agency, do not send money to an account named over the phone; check through an official number (our note).
• ✓Do not accept offers to sell or lend your account, or "just forward the money that arrives" jobs. Refuse such recruitment on social media, and if you notice you have been drawn in, tell the police or your bank.
• ✓If you have already sent money, contact the police and your bank at once. The FSA says to first contact the police or your financial institution and ask for the destination account to be suspended.

Spot-the-scam quiz

Imagine this.

The three lines to send to family

• ▸If money you do not recognize lands in your account and a caller says "give it back", do not refund or forward it. Leave the money alone and contact your bank yourself through the number on your passbook or card. Do not send money to an account named over the phone.
• ▸"Your account will be frozen" and "send money right away" are scams. Caller IDs can be spoofed, so do not trust the number in your call history. Do not give the caller your account number either.
• ▸Suspicious calls: #9110. If you have sent money: police (110) and your bank. Contract or billing trouble: Consumer Hotline 188. (#9110, 110 and 188 are numbers inside Japan.)

Where to get help (Japan)

For a suspicious call, or if you cannot tell whether something is a scam, call the police consultation line #9110. Non-urgent consultations are handled by your nearest police station or #9110. If you have already sent money or are being threatened, call 110 (our note based on the NPA's guidance).
For contract or billing trouble, the Consumer Hotline "188" connects you to your local consumer center.
Also contact your bank yourself, using the number on your passbook or card or on the bank's official site. These numbers work only inside Japan.

What I could not confirm

• ▸An official warning about "an unrecognized deposit followed by a phone call asking for a refund". I checked the NPA, FSA, National Consumer Affairs Center and major bank pages and found none. This article does not claim the scheme exists.
• ▸That "leaked accounts are mainly targeted" or that it is "used for money laundering". I found no support for this scheme. The NPA describes the "remittance offense" as a money-laundering method, but it is a different scheme from an unrecognized deposit.
• ▸The number of cases or amount lost to this scheme. No published figures. The numbers in this article (4,362 and 128,301) are cleared cases of illegal account transfers and the number of account suspensions or forced closures, not cases of this scheme.
• ▸The legal treatment of spending an unrecognized deposit. I did not confirm it in official material. Consult your bank, the police and, if needed, a lawyer.
• ▸Search demand. The site's search data (GSC) shows no impressions for this phrasing. The aim is to pass on a newly heard story, within what can be verified, to family.

Sources