A 61-year-old company employee from Hasuda City, Saitama Prefecture, has fallen victim to a massive SNS investment scam, losing approximately ¥218 million, the Saitama Prefectural Police's Iwatsuki Station announced on the 17th.

The Deceptive Scheme

The woman was contacted by a man posing as a friend starting in late December last year. Through phone calls and SNS messages, he lured her with promises of easy money, saying things like, "Would you like to grow your money through investment?" and "You can earn easily if you just do as I say." Trusting the individual, the woman proceeded to transfer a total of roughly ¥217.85 million into a designated bank account via internet banking across 54 transactions between early January and mid-February of this year.

Illusory Profits and Financial Ruin

Alarmingly, a significant portion of the funds she sent was money she had borrowed from acquaintances. The investment app introduced by the man displayed fictitious profits exceeding ¥100 million, creating a false sense of success. The devastating reality only came to light when she consulted a friend about her inability to withdraw the supposed earnings, uncovering the sophisticated fraud.

This case highlights the growing sophistication of financial scams targeting individuals through social media platforms, urging the public to exercise extreme caution with unsolicited investment opportunities.