Japan Police to Crack Down on Fraud-Linked Social Media Posts

Tokyo, July 2 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Police Agency said Thursday that it plans to add social media posts facilitating romance scams, other fraud and so-called dark part-time jobs to the category of illegal information. Such posts will be subject to deletion requests by the Internet Hotline Center, commissioned by the NPA. The NPA plans to revise the IHC’s operational guidelines as early as August after soliciting public comments and holding discussions at an expert panel. Based on reports from the public, the IHC requests that website administrators and internet service providers remove illegal or harmful online content and reports such cases to the police. The current operational guidelines designate 18 categories of harmful information, including advertisements and information luring people to online casinos and illegal drugs. Under a draft proposal, investment ads impersonating prominent investors or business leaders and using their names to boast of fictitious investment returns or solicit participation in seminars will be designated as illegal information. So-called money transfer part-time jobs, in which individuals keep their own bank accounts but transfer funds deposited into them to designated recipients in exchange for compensation, have emerged as a new method of money laundering. Calling the method “a money transfer crime,” the NPA is set to add posts that solicit people to make paid transfer requests to the list of illegal information. According to the agency, losses from social media-based investment scams have surged amid soaring stock prices. As of the end of May, the total amount of losses reached about 70 billion yen, 1.5 times the figure a year before. Money transfer part-time jobs were made illegal under the amended law on prevention of transfer of criminal proceeds, which was enacted in June and will take effect on July 10. An NPA official said, “In many cases, online posts lead to victimization or involvement in these crimes,” adding that removing such posts will help prevent people from becoming involved in criminal activity. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]