Is that person you met online real? Beware of International Romance Scams

We have received inquiries regarding “international romance scams,” in which a person is pressured by a foreigner of the opposite sex whom he or she met and became friendly with on a social networking service or dating application to send money or make investments.

SNSやマッチングアプリで知り合った外国人の異性とメールでやり取りするうちに親しくなり、色々な名目で送金を迫られたり、投資を持ちかけられたりする「国際ロマンス詐欺」に関する相談が寄せられています。

The tactics vary, but there has been a growing number of cases in which the victims are advised to invest in crypto assets, with the idea of “investing in the future.” They repeatedly invest large sums of money as they are told, only to find that they are unable to withdraw the money, and eventually lose contact with the foreign counterparty concerned.

手口は様々ですが、「将来のために投資をしよう」と、暗号資産への投資を勧められ、言われるがまま高額投資を繰り返したが、出金できず、結局連絡も取れなくなった等の事例が増えています。

In the first place, we do not know if the foreign counterparty is real or not. If you are advised to invest by someone you do not know, do not send money without carefully considering the matter.

そもそも外国人の相手が実在するか、わかりません。面識のない相手から投資を勧められても、安易に送金しないようにしましょう。

Once you have transferred money, it is very difficult to get it back.

一度、振込んでしまうと取り戻すのは非常に困難です。

Since the other party takes advantage of your romantic feelings and kindness, you may not even be aware that you are in trouble before it’s too late.

相手は恋愛感情や親切心につけ込んでくるため、当事者はトラブルに巻き込まれていることに気づいていない場合もあります。

If you have any concerns, please contact the Consumer Affairs Center.

少しでも不安に思ったら、消費生活センターにご相談ください。