japan today > japan > kuchikomi

One-click fraudsters running rampant

According to a recent survey by a private research firm, nearly half of all Internet fraud in Japan is now being done via so-called “one-click” scams, in which people receive spam mails inviting them to view a adult-oriented or tabloid-style site by clicking on a URL and subsequently receive bills containing aggressive demands for payment.

The Sankei Shimbun (Nov 5) reports that the consumer information advocate center operated by the Tokyo metropolitan government notes such frauds have become increasingly ingenious, leading to a rise in requests for assistance.

Shibuya-based Netstar Co Ltd, a database and content delivery service, determined that compared with the Oct-Dec period of 2005, during which time one-click fraud accounted for just 9% of all claims, the ratio during the July-Sept period of 2006 had risen to 48%.

These spam mails purport to offer such contents as “the inside scoop on showbiz celebrities” often featuring an opening page with icons that lead to photographs or moving images. The visitor to the site is encouraged to confirm that he is an adult and invited to register to receive a membership number. After they follow certain steps on the screen, a message reading “Registration complete,” pops up and they are instructed to transmit money to a bank account. Failure to pay results in aggressive spam mails threatening legal action and interest on delayed payment.

In June 2006, a 20-year-old Nagoya youth and several others were browbeaten into paying 74,000 yen to a 35-year-old systems engineer in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward. The man was apprehended at the request of the Kagawa prefectural police, but could not be charged due to the lack of a statute specifically prohibiting such activities.

“In the case of these fraudulent sites, seeing ‘Registration complete’ pop up on the screen doesn’t mean the fraudsters have actually obtained the user’s personal data,” says a spokesman for the Japan Data Processing Promotion Organization. “Mostly they’re just scare tactics. People should calm down and simply ignore the demands for payment.”

November 6, 2006

Bookmark to:

And it's not necessarily one off fraudsters either
samrinoma   (Nov 6 2006 - 11:54)	Rate | Report

smrinioma
kimiguano   (Nov 16 2006 - 23:58)	Rate | Report

Login to post your opinion or register now for free.