JUST USE THE BANKNOTE TELEPORTER

According to the Shiga Prefectural Police, on 5 December, a 53-year-old office worker received phone calls and video calls over the popular Japanese messaging app Line from men claiming to work for a major telecom company and a man posing as an officer from the Hyogo Prefectural Police.

The victim was told that 40 million yen was deposited and then withdrawn from a bank account in his name, implicating him in a potential crime. They then told him they needed to confirm the serial numbers on the banknotes in his account to know for sure. To do this, he would have to transfer the money from his bank account to theirs, so they could examine his bills and then transfer them back.

It wasn't reported how he finally realized he'd been had, but it was probably after none of the money he sent was being returned. He then contacted the real police, who are currently investigating it as a case of "special fraud" (tokushu sagi), referring to scams that randomly target people over the phone or online.

The victim did get a fair bit of ribbing in online comments, but a lot of people also lamented that someone with a rather vague understanding of how banks work has more money than they do.

Based on reports, this victim seems to be an average adult with an apparently well-paying job. He just seems to have thought everyone's money is kept in stacks of cash in a bunch of boxes, and perhaps when you use an ATM, a little robot whizzes over and takes out whatever you need.

To read the complete article, see:
Japanese man who didn't know how banks work defrauded out of 21 million yen (https://soranews24.com/2025/12/13/japanese-man-who-didnt-know-how-banks-work-defrauded-out-of-21-million-yen/)

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