"It's Me" Means Goodbye To Money In Japan

[jeffrey]

From reuters.co.uk

You might think that by now, most people would know better.

Japanese police and media have been warning the public for months about so-called "it's me" scams in which swindlers cheat victims out of money by phoning and posing as a relative who desperately needs cash to get out of a bind.

Despite the campaign, the victims -- often middle-aged or elderly women -- were duped out of more than 15 billion yen ($143 million) in the first 10 months of 2004, up from 4.3 billion ($41 million) for all of 2003, National Police Agency figures show.

"We keep telling people to be careful and still they are taken in," a police official said on Monday after the Agency set up a special task force to crack down on the scam.

"When someone gets a phone call like this in the midst of a peaceful life, they get upset and lose their presence of mind."

The scams typically begin with a call from a person claiming to be a son, daughter or other relative in need of money for such purposes as an out-of-court settlement after a traffic accident, to fund a girlfriend's abortion or to pay off a loan shark. The distraught family member is persuaded to send the funds to a designated bank account by electronic transfer... Entire Story Here