Chinese Embassy in Japan warns citizens of rising telecom scams

The Chinese Embassy in Japan has issued a warning to its citizens about an increase in sophisticated telecommunications fraud targeting Chinese nationals residing in Japan. The embassy reported that several individuals have already fallen victim to these scams, with losses totaling millions of yuan.

The embassy clarified that legitimate government agencies, including domestic government departments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' consular protection hotline, and Chinese diplomatic missions abroad, never make unsolicited phone calls about criminal allegations or unclaimed documents and packages. Additionally, these agencies do not transfer calls to entities such as the "International Police Center" or domestic judicial departments.

Citizens are advised to be wary of any requests to install monitoring software, write statements to "prove innocence," or transfer funds to specific accounts, as these are definitive signs of a telecom scam. The embassy also warned against responding to messages with disguised numbers that send links falsely claiming there is a risk of unauthorized transactions on credit cards. 

These links are designed to harvest sensitive information like bank card numbers, payment passwords, or SMS verification codes, which can be used for fraudulent transactions.

The embassy has particularly urged tourists and students to be vigilant and increase their awareness to avoid falling prey to these scams.