Losses from special fraud in Japan reached ¥236.1bn in the first eight months of the year, up 33.2% on the same period of 2025, according to provisional National Police Agency figures released on 2 October. Reported cases rose 14.4% to 29,687, an increase of 3,732, so losses grew faster than the case count.
The agency defines special fraud as crimes in which victims are persuaded by phone or social media, without meeting the offender, to hand over cash or other assets, for example by transfer to a designated account. The definition includes extortion and the theft of cash cards.
Online investment scams lead
Social-media investment fraud is the largest category by losses. The agency recorded 7,097 cases, up 49.4%, and losses of ¥93.7bn, up 53.8%. Fake-police fraud, in which offenders pose as officers and demand money for an investigation, comes next: cases fell 4.1% to 6,346, yet losses rose 27.0% to ¥72.9bn. Social-media romance fraud was almost flat, with 3,506 cases (+0.4%) and ¥32.6bn in losses (+0.8%).
| Method | Cases | Cases vs year earlier | Losses | Losses vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All special fraud | 29,687 | +3,732 (+14.4%) | ¥236.1bn | +33.2% |
| Social-media investment fraud | 7,097 | +2,347 (+49.4%) | ¥93.7bn | +53.8% |
| Fake-police fraud | 6,346 | -274 (-4.1%) | ¥72.9bn | +27.0% |
| Social-media romance fraud | 3,506 | +13 (+0.4%) | ¥32.6bn | +0.8% |
The agency has changed how it presents the data. From January 2026 it treats fake-police fraud as a separate method, having previously counted it within impersonation fraud and similar categories, and it places social-media investment and romance fraud inside the special-fraud total.
The latest month is lower
Cumulative growth masks a softer recent month. August losses were ¥25.3bn on 3,636 cases, against ¥29.7bn on 3,613 cases in August 2025. Social-media investment losses fell from ¥15.7bn in January to ¥5.6bn in August, and August 2025 had been ¥14.2bn. The release gives no explanation for the pattern.
Some older methods shrank. Savings-account fraud cases fell 43.2% to 667 and refund fraud cases fell 10.0% to 2,058.
Cleared cases are up, with a comparability caveat
Police cleared 5,443 special-fraud cases (+25.2%), involving 1,949 people (+26.6%). The agency notes that the 2026 clearance figures include violations of the organised-crime law where the proceeds come from special fraud. For 2025, apart from social-media investment and romance fraud, those violations were not included, so the year-on-year comparison is not strictly like for like.
Fake-police fraud shows 673 cleared cases and 307 people, but no year-earlier comparison, because statistics on clearances for that method began in 2026. All 2026 figures are provisional.