Sample newspaper article
全国の消費生活センターに寄せられた新型コロナウイルスに便乗した詐欺などの相談が1万件を突破したことが8日、国民生活センターへの取材で分かった。「補助金が出る」と現金をだまし取ろうとする電話のほか、外出自粛の高齢者らを狙う「訪問盗」、「検査する」と子どもに近づく不審者の事件も相次ぐ。不安につけ込む手口はさらに増加する恐れがあり、警察や関係機関は警戒を強めている。
「コロナ関連で補助金が出る。カードと印鑑を用意して」。警視庁によると、東京都葛飾区で3月下旬、80代の男性宅に女の声で電話があった。他に「検査キットを送った」といった電話も確認されている。 (KYODO)
Words and phrases
全国 (ぜんこく) nationwide
消費生活(しょうひせいかつ)センター consumer affairs center
寄(よ)せる to give, to send
新型(しんがた)コロナウイルス novel coronavirus
便乗(びんじょう)する to capitalize on, to take advantage of
詐欺 (さぎ) scam
など and others
相談 (そうだん) consultation
1万件 (いちまんけん) 10,000 cases
突破(とっぱ)する to exceed
8日 (ようか) the 8th
国民生活(こくみんせいかつ)センター National Consumer Affairs Center
取材 (しゅざい) collecting information (for a news story)
分(わ)かる to be revealed
補助金 (ほじょきん) subsidy
出(で)る to be provided
現金 (げんきん) cash
だまし取(と)る to defraud, to swindle
電話 (でんわ) phone call
~のほか in addition to ~
外出自粛 (がいしゅつじしゅく) voluntary restraint on going out
高齢者(こうれいしゃ)ら elderly people
狙(ねら)う to target
訪問盗 (ほうもんとう) literally, “visitor thief,” meaning someone who comes to a house pretending to be a guest but steals things
検査(けんさ)する to examine [in this case, health checks]
子(こ)ども child/children
近(ちか)づく to approach
不審者 (ふしんしゃ) suspicious person
事件 (じけん) case
相次(あいつ)ぐ to occur one after another
不安 (ふあん) anxiety
つけ込(こ)む to take advantage of, to prey on
手口 (てぐち) trick, modus operandi
さらに further
増加(ぞうか)する to increase
恐(おそ)れがある it is feared, there’s a worry
警察 (けいさつ) police
関係機関 (かんけいきかん) relevant authorities
警戒 (けいかい) vigilance
強(つよ)める to raise, to tighten
~関連(かんれん) ~related
カード [bank] card
印鑑 (いんかん) official seal
用意(ようい)する to prepare
警視庁 (けいしちょう) the Metropolitan Police Department
~によると according to~
東京都 (とうきょうと) Metropolis of Tokyo
葛飾区 (かつしかく) Katsushika Ward
3月(さんがつ)下旬(げじゅん) late March
80代 (はちじゅうだい) 80-year-olds
男性 (だんせい) man
~宅 (たく) residence of ~
女 (おんな) woman
声 (こえ) voice
他(ほか)に also
検査(けんさ)キット test kit
送(おく)る to send
確認(かくにん)する to confirm
Quick questions
1) コロナ関連の訪問盗に狙われているのは誰ですか?
2) 不審者はどのようにして子どもに近づきましたか?
3) 葛飾区の男性はどんな詐欺の電話を受けましたか?
Translation
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan reported on the 8th that consultations at consumer affairs offices nationwide on scams and other incidents that take advantage of the novel coronavirus have exceeded 10,000. Cases popping up one after another include attempts by imposters to swindle money by pretending over the phone to offer “financial aid,” “visiting thieves” who target the homes of self-isolating elderly people, and suspicious people approaching children for “health checks.” As there is fear that further frauds taking advantage of anxieties (related to the novel coronavirus) will increase, the police and related organizations are stressing caution.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, in late March a man in his 80s in Tokyo’s Katsushika Ward received a call from a woman asking him to “prepare his bank card and official seal for a coronavirus-related financial subsidy coming out.” In addition to that, it was confirmed that calls that claimed “health check kits were being sent” occurred.
Answers
1) Who is the target of the virus-related visitor scam theft?
外出自粛の高齢者ら。
Elderly people who voluntarily refrain from going out.
2) How did suspicious people approach children?
検査のふりをして近づいた。
They pretended to conduct health examinations.
3) What kind of scam phone call did the man in Katsushika Ward receive?
コロナ関連で補助金が出るという詐欺の電話を受けた。
He received a call that said he could get coronavirus-related financial aid.
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