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Hokkaido man outsmarts fake police officers in recorded scam call

A man in Sapporo City successfully thwarted a telephone scammer posing as a Tokyo police detective after recording the bizarre conversation

Tokyo Reporter2026-08-29 15:00查看原文 ↗

HOKKAIDO (TR) – A man in Sapporo City successfully thwarted a telephone scammer posing as a Tokyo Metropolitan Police detective after recording the bizarre conversation and turning the tables on the caller, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 28).

The incident began last week when the Sapporo resident received a call from an individual identifying himself as “Tanaka,” supposedly an investigator with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Second Investigation Division.

This is a classic ploy in a tokushu sagi (specialized fraud) ruse, whereby a caller poses as an authority figure in scamming a victim.

Sensing something was amiss right away, the man hit the record button. “I immediately felt there was no way they would discuss such an important matter from a mobile phone, so I decided to record it,” he told reporters.

In the recorded audio, the fake detective went on the offensive. “Weren’t you complicit in money laundering for a group?” Tanaka asked. “There is a situation where you are suspected of being involved. A seized cash card of yours was used in a special fraud account.”

The victim played along, calmly stating he had no memory of making or handing over any such bank card.

The swindler then shifted tactics, claiming the case was actually under the jurisdiction of the Hyogo Prefectural Police. He asked the Sapporo man to travel all the way to western Japan for questioning.

When the man refused — logically pointing out that real police investigators would come to him — Tanaka smoothly replied, “That’s only when an arrest warrant is issued. Right now, it’s at a voluntary stage.”

Tanaka then told the man to hold the line while he “transferred” the call to Hyogo. A second scammer, identifying himself as “Yano from the Hyogo Prefectural Police,” picked up the phone.

Yano attempted to pressure the victim, stating, “We can’t just say ‘that’s fine’ if you can’t come… We are dealing with personal information, so I need to verify your identity.”

But the Sapporo man was ready. He flipped the interrogation on the fraudster, asking, “Can I ask you something too? What department are you in?”

When Yano vaguely replied that he was from the “Hyogo Prefectural Police Headquarters,” the man pressed further: “There are various departments, like Community Safety, right…?”

Realizing his cover was blown by the simple line of questioning, the fake officer abruptly hung up the phone.

Following the incident, the quick-thinking man offered a word of warning to the public: “Even if they drop the name of the police, it’s best to calm your mind and handle the situation with a cool head.”

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北海道（TR）——据朝日电视台（8月28日）报道，札幌市一名男子录下了一名冒充东京警视厅侦探的电话诈骗犯的离奇对话，并反过来戏弄了对方，成功挫败了诈骗。

事件始于上周，当时札幌居民接到一个自称“田中”的人打来的电话，此人据称是东京警视厅第二搜查课的调查员。

这是特专诈骗（专业诈骗）中的经典伎俩，诈骗者冒充权威人士来电诈骗受害者。

这名男子立刻察觉到情况不对劲，便按下了录音键。“我当时就觉得他们不可能用手机讨论这么重要的事情，所以我决定录下来。”他告诉记者。

在录音中，假侦探开始反击。“你是不是参与了某个团伙的洗钱活动？”田中问道，“有人怀疑你牵涉其中。你被查获的一张银行卡被用于一个特殊的诈骗账户。”

受害者配合演戏，冷静地表示他不记得自己制作或交付过任何此类银行卡。

骗子随后改变策略，声称此案实际上属于兵库县警察署管辖范围。他要求札幌男子远赴日本西部接受讯问。

当那名男子拒绝时——他合情合理地指出，真正的警察调查人员会来找他——田中平静地回答说：“只有在发出逮捕令之后才会那样。现在，还处于自愿阶段。”

田中随后让那名男子稍等片刻，他要将电话“转接”到兵库县。第二个骗子接起了电话，自称是“兵库县警察厅的矢野”。

矢野试图向受害者施压，说道：“如果你不能来，我们不能就说‘没关系’……我们处理的是个人信息，所以我需要核实你的身份。”

但札幌男子早有准备。他反过来质问骗子：“我也可以问你个问题吗？你是哪个部门的？”

当矢野含糊地回答说他来自“兵库县警察总部”时，那人继续追问：“那里有各种各样的部门，比如社区安全部，对吧……？”