Overview

• The victim, a woman in her 70s in Sendai’s Taihaku Ward, was targeted from July to October after a robocall posing as NTT connected her to a man claiming to be a police officer.
• The suspect instructed her to place gold bars in station coin lockers on eight occasions, totaling about 18.6 kilograms valued at roughly ¥348 million.
• Between October 10 and 16, she also sent about ¥10.4 million via ATM transfers to several personal bank accounts designated by the caller.
• The total loss is approximately ¥358 million, which Miyagi Prefectural Police say is the highest known amount for a special fraud case, exceeding a roughly ¥210 million case announced in December 2024.
• Police discovered the suspected fraud while investigating a separate case, took the victim’s report on October 17, and say the inquiry remains active.