Do not hesitate to contact the police
If you have been hit by phone fraud, or if you have taken a suspicious call, contacting the police is the most important first step. Many people hold back, thinking "Is this really worth bothering the police about?" or "The amount is so small that they will not take me seriously." Contacting the police is nothing out of the ordinary. In 2025 the police handled roughly 2.77 million consultations (National Police Agency), covering a wide range of concerns about everyday safety.
The longer you wait, the narrower your options become. Whether an account freeze under the Furikome Fraud Relief Act arrives in time depends on whether the procedure starts before the cash is withdrawn from the receiving account. Criminal groups pull the money out almost as soon as a transfer lands, so how fast you move once you notice something is wrong is what makes the difference. Each consultation also helps the police see how far a particular method has spread, and your report may become the clue that protects someone else. Knowing how to prevent bank transfer fraud matters, but so does knowing what to do once you have been targeted. Losses from special fraud, which includes bank transfer fraud, reached approximately 71.88 billion yen in 2024 (confirmed figure, National Police Agency).
#9110 - How to use the police consultation hotline
What #9110 is
#9110 is a dedicated police line for consultations about preventing crime and about safety in daily life. Where 110 is for emergency calls, #9110 handles matters that are not urgent. When you dial it, you are connected automatically to the consultation desk of the prefectural police force that covers the place you are calling from.
Reception hours are set by each prefectural police force, and calls outside those hours may be taken by the duty officer. Check the hours on the website of the prefectural police where you live before you call. The caller pays for the call.
When to call #9110
- You received a suspicious call but have not lost any money yet
- You cannot tell whether a call was a scam
- You keep receiving nuisance calls
- Someone made threatening remarks over the phone
- You want advice on whether to file a crime report
- You want to report an incident from some time ago, even now
When you call, give the date and time of the call, the originating number, what was said, and whether any money was lost. If you have a call recording, the desk can give you more specific guidance.
Preparing for the consultation
Put the following together in advance so that the consultation is productive.
- A timeline - when the call came, what kind of call it was, and how you responded
- The originating number - a screenshot of your call history
- What was said - the name the caller gave, the demands made, any threatening remarks
- The loss - whether money was lost, how much, and the transfer destination
- Supporting material - recordings, SMS messages, emails, transfer receipts
Read how to preserve evidence of phone harassment as well, and organize your material systematically before you make contact.
Filing a crime report
A crime report and a formal criminal complaint are not the same
A crime report (higai-todoke) is a document notifying the police of the facts of a crime. A formal criminal complaint (kokuso-jo) goes further: it includes a statement that you want the offender prosecuted. With phone fraud, the usual course is to file a crime report first and to consider a formal complaint as the investigation develops.
- Crime report - notifies the police of the facts. It does not create a duty to investigate, but it does serve as the starting point for one
- Formal criminal complaint - includes a statement seeking prosecution. A judicial police officer who receives a complaint is required to send the related documents and evidence to the public prosecutor without delay (Article 242, Code of Criminal Procedure). It is common to have a lawyer draft it
What goes into a crime report
A crime report covers the items below. Police stations keep the forms on hand, so you can also fill one in at the counter.
- Your name, address, and contact details
- The date, time, and place of the incident
- What happened (the method used, what the caller said and did)
- The amount lost (transferred or handed over)
- Information about the offender (the name given, phone number, account details)
- Whether you have evidence (call recordings, transfer receipts, and so on)
Crime reports are accepted at your nearest police station. Once yours is accepted, be sure to note down the acceptance number. You will need it for later inquiries and for insurance claims.
If your crime report is not accepted
In rare cases, the counter at a police station is reluctant to accept a crime report. If you are turned away on grounds such as insufficient evidence or a small loss, take the following steps.
- State clearly that you want the crime report accepted
- Ask for the reason for the refusal in writing
- Contact the consultation desk at the prefectural police headquarters
- Ask a lawyer to come with you
If you are turned away, write down the date and time, which counter you dealt with, and the reason you were given. That lets you set out exactly what happened when you take the matter to the prefectural police headquarters or to a lawyer. Read how to report phone fraud too, and be ready to describe your situation objectively.
Cybercrime consultation desks
What these desks are for
When phone fraud is combined with the internet or email - being steered to a phishing site, or to a fake investment platform, for example - use the cybercrime consultation desk of your prefectural police as well. These desks handle consultations specifically about crimes that misuse digital technology.
Typical subjects include the following.
- Fraud that combines SMS phishing with phone calls (smishing)
- Fraud run through fake investment sites or apps
- Fraud that relies on caller ID spoofing (number spoofing)
- Calls that push you into installing a malicious app
- Investment scams that start on social media and move to the phone
Reporting and consulting online
On its page for cyber incident consultation desks, the National Police Agency sets out the online intake window for reports and the contact details of each prefectural police force. Use it when the matter is not urgent, or when calling is difficult for you. For anything that threatens a life, such as a bomb threat or a threatened suicide, contact your nearest police station rather than going online - and dial 110 if the situation is urgent.
What happens after you make contact
How the investigation proceeds
Once your crime report is filed, the police may take steps such as these.
- Checking the subscriber records for the phone number the offender used
- Checking the account holder records for the receiving account
- Reviewing security camera footage (ATM withdrawals, identifying the money collector)
- Analyzing call records
- Looking into links with other cases
You can ask about the progress of the investigation by quoting the acceptance number of your crime report, though matters that bear on investigative confidentiality will not be disclosed. Special fraud is treated as organized crime and is a police priority: 6,576 cases were cleared in 2024 (confirmed figure, National Police Agency).
Recovering the money
Alongside the police investigation, pursue the account freeze and the distribution of recovered funds under the Furikome Fraud Relief Act (the Act on Payment of Restitution to Victims of Crimes Using Deposit Accounts Used for Crimes). The request to freeze the account has to be made by you directly to the financial institution, separately from your consultation with the police. Once the account is frozen, the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Japan publishes notice of the distribution procedure, and victims can apply to receive a share.
Day to day, follow how to handle calls from unknown numbers to head trouble off before it starts. Vishing (phishing carried out by phone) grows more sophisticated year by year, so knowing where and how to report nuisance calls ahead of time is the first step in protecting yourself.
Summary
If you are hit by phone fraud, contacting the police matters both for recovering your money and for catching those responsible. Call #9110 for advice, file a crime report, and use a cybercrime consultation desk where it fits your case. Before you make contact, put together the timeline, the originating number, what was said, and your supporting material so that you can describe the situation accurately. There is no need to hold back for fear that the matter is too trivial to raise. Your consultation helps stop the next case that uses the same method.