Japan’s Fraud Statistics: The 65+ Share Was 51.3%, but Their Case Count Rose

Special fraud is often associated with older victims in Japan.

The National Police Agency’s 2025 statistics show that people aged 65 and over accounted for 51.3% of recorded special fraud cases, excluding corporate victims. Their share fell from the previous year, but the number of cases involving them rose.

A falling share does not mean fewer cases

Japan recorded 27,832 special fraud cases in 2025. A recorded case is one that the police have identified as a crime, rather than an estimate of all incidents.

Of these, 14,273 involved victims aged 65 or over, an increase of 535 from the previous year.

Even so, their share of the total excluding corporate victims fell by 14.0 percentage points to 51.3%.

The reason was not a decline in cases involving older people. Special fraud increased overall, and impersonation scams in the “It’s me” category and fictitious billing scams spread to younger age groups.

The 51.3% figure is the share of recorded cases involving victims aged 65 or over, excluding corporate victims. It does not mean that 51.3% of everyone aged 65 or over experienced fraud.

Different methods affect different age groups

Treating special fraud as only an older person’s problem misses part of the picture.

In 2025, people aged 65 and over accounted for 98.8% of deposit-and-savings fraud cases, 98.9% of cash-card theft by deception, and 81.1% of refund fraud. These shares exclude corporate victims.

For fictitious billing fraud, the share was 33.2%.

In police impersonation scams, the largest number of recorded cases involved people in their thirties, followed by those in their twenties.

“Older means vulnerable” and “younger means fine” are too simple. The age groups most affected differ by method.

Look at what the caller is asking you to do

For families, it helps to agree on situations in which everyone will pause the conversation, rather than making assumptions based on age.

For example:

• Someone unexpectedly contacts you claiming to be police or a government official.
• They threaten arrest or insist that you act “today.”
• They ask for a money transfer over the phone or social media.
• They ask for a cash card or PIN.

In these situations, end the contact before following the person’s instructions.

If they claim to be police, do not call back a number they supplied. Use a police station’s number you have checked independently, or Japan’s police consultation line, #9110, to verify the situation.

Special fraud is not only an older person’s problem. Some methods nevertheless continue to concentrate heavily on older victims.

The useful questions go beyond age: Who do they claim to be, what are they rushing you to do, and what are they asking for?

Additional context

The 51.3% figure describes the share of Japan’s recorded special fraud cases in 2025 involving people aged 65 and over, excluding corporate victims. It is not a victimisation rate calculated using each age group’s population.

From 2026, Japan changed the statistical categories, including making police impersonation a separate method. Take care when comparing figures from 2025 or earlier with those from 2026 onward.

Sources

• National Police Agency: Final 2025 statistics on special fraud and social-media investment and romance scams (posted 5 June 2026). See pages 1 and 5 of document 1 (PDF).
• National Police Agency: Warning about police impersonation scams, covering methods and advice to end the call and check independently.
• National Police Agency: Special fraud statistics, explaining the classification changes from 2026.

All sources are external sites in Japanese. The originals were checked on 13 September 2026.