"Watch Anime and Earn Money" Scam Costs Japanese Man 15 Million Yen

Getting paid to watch your favorite anime series or films seems like an unbelievable proposition. But if such an opportunity were to arise, most people would jump at the chance. That’s exactly what happened to a Japanese man who, in his eagerness to make money from this type of scheme, ended up being swindled.

A 62-year-old man from Yukuhashi City, Fukuoka Prefecture, was defrauded of approximately 15 million yen (US$97,764) by a scammer who told him, “If you like anime, there is a system that allows you to earn money by watching animated shows.”

Local police reported that the unemployed man received a follow request on social media from a woman’s account in November 2024. After following back, he was directed to another SNS account, where he was introduced to the scheme and given a URL.

Upon accessing the link, the man was taken to a website impersonating a well-known anime production company. He was then introduced to an account claiming to be a system administrator, who explained the entire process of earning money by watching anime.

Believing the offer to be genuine, the man transferred a total of 15 million yen to a specified account over 10 transactions across two months, under the pretext of “membership fees” and “copyright fees.” However, he later realized he had been scammed.

As large sums of money were frequently withdrawn, financial institutions grew suspicious and reported the incident to the police, bringing the fraud to light. The victim reportedly said, “Because it was a famous anime company, I thought it was real and believed it.”

The Fukuoka Prefectural Police confirmed that in the past year, multiple fake phone and SNS-based investment scams have cost victims a total of 9.2 billion yen (US$60 million). While the investigation is ongoing, authorities are urging people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious schemes.

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Via: FBS News