As vaccinations of the elderly against the novel coronavirus gain speed, the Consumer Affairs Agency and the police are warning people to be wary of scam phone calls telling senior citizens that they can get preferential treatment in exchange for money.
According to the Consumer Affairs Agency, 88 consultations related to vaccine scams had been received by consumer affairs centers nationwide as of May 10. Some of the victims paid money to the scammers.
A case has been confirmed in Tokyo in which a person received a call purported to be from a health center, saying: "If you pay 100,000, yen we'll give you a priority vaccination. You'll get the money back after you're inoculated."
In Akita Prefecture, there was an incident in which the caller claimed that the targeted person could choose the date they wanted to be vaccinated in return for money. An apparent fraudster actually visited someone's residence in Shiga Prefecture, pretending to take a reservation for that person.
According to the police, suspicious phone calls have been confirmed in Aichi, Osaka, Fukuoka and other prefectures, and the modus operandi is gradually changing.
A man in his 40s in the Tokai region received a call in early April from someone claiming to be an employee of an organization, saying: "Vaccinations have started, and we're telling people about available [inoculation] slots. The cost will be about 500,000, yen because it's new medicine."
In late April, a man in his 60s in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, received a letter saying, "There's a surplus of vaccine, and you can receive it if you pay 500,000 yen."
A senior official of the Metropolitan Police Department said: "Government agencies never ask for money or personal information. If you receive a request for money for a vaccination, please hang up immediately and report it."
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