The latest annual police data on what they call special fraud cases — such as the "it's me" scheme of swindling senior citizens by posing as relatives in need of urgent help — highlight the vulnerability of the nation's increasing elderly population to such crimes, especially the growing ranks of them who live alone.
As the police crack down on such crimes with mixed success, local communities can also help to protect potential victims by ensuring that their elderly residents are not isolated.
Total losses from such frauds — which also include cases in which the swindlers lure the victims to bank ATMs with bogus stories of tax refunds as well as the sale of worthless financial products — reached a record ¥55.9 billion last year, according to the National Police Agency.