Japan bans phone calls by over-65s at ATM
Ordinance aims to protect seniors from scammers coaxing them to transfer or withdraw cash.
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Ordinance aims to protect seniors from scammers coaxing them to transfer or withdraw cash.
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TOKYO (AFP) — The Japanese city of Osaka will ban elderly people from using ATMs while on a phone call under a new rule to tackle a growing scourge of targeted scams.
Nationwide, damage from organized fraud schemes — orchestrated by criminal gangs including the yakuza — reached a record 72.2 billion yen ($500 million) last year.
Older people are often prime targets for cold calls, with scammers posing as relatives, police or lawyers to coax them into withdrawing or transferring cash.
So authorities in Osaka have brought in an ordinance that takes effect from August prohibiting those aged 65 and older from holding phone calls while using an ATM.
Forms of organized fraud include the classic “it’s me” scam, where perpetrators impersonate family members in trouble to extract money from the victim.
