The Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA) issued a consumer alert on investment solicitations circulating on social networking services (SNS) and set up an “Information Reception Desk for Advertisements and Other Suspected Investment Fraud on SNS” to collect information on ads and posts suspected of being used for investment fraud. It flagged that it has received multiple reports of similar cases and that losses have been confirmed, including situations where deposited funds were not returned. The FSA outlined recurring patterns, including being funneled from video-site ads into closed SNS chats, the use of celebrity names and images alongside fake “securities” or “investment club” brands, and group chats featuring purported “teachers” plus planted participants to encourage deposits. Other examples include “AI diagnosis” offers that lead to investment pitches, promotion of overseas foreign exchange brokers not registered in Japan, impersonation of legitimate financial instruments firms through fake websites and copied registration numbers, misuse of the names of high-speed trading actors to solicit trades, fake “government-approved” investment programs claiming FSA licensing, reward and kickback schemes, purported “special” accounts or IPO allocations that create a payment obligation, and smartphone apps presented as securities accounts that display fabricated balances and later block withdrawals. The FSA advised users to stay calm, verify whether counterparties are registered as financial instruments businesses or crypto asset exchange businesses using its financial business search tools, and noted that legitimate brokers do not direct deposits to bank accounts in an individual’s name. The agency encouraged anyone who encounters similar solicitations to avoid involvement and submit information to the new reception desk or other FSA and Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission channels, and to consult the police.

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