Discovering that you may have been scammed is an unsettling experience. The most important thing to know is that it happens to careful, intelligent people regularly, and that there are clear, practical steps you can take. Acting calmly and in the right order makes a significant difference to the outcome.

Contact Your Bank First

If you have shared card details or made a payment, contact your bank as soon as possible using the number on the back of your card. Explain what happened and ask whether the transaction can be stopped or reversed. Banks in Japan have dedicated fraud teams and are experienced with these situations. Do not be embarrassed to call. The sooner you contact them, the more options they have.

Change Your Passwords

If you have shared a password, or if you use the same password for multiple accounts, change it on every account where it is used. Start with your email account, since access to email can give a scammer access to password reset links for other services. If you are not sure how to change a password on a particular service, our support team can walk you through it step by step.

Report the Incident

In Japan, you can report phone and online scams to the National Police Agency's cybercrime consultation desk, or to the Consumer Affairs Agency. Reporting does not guarantee a resolution, but it contributes to the information that helps authorities identify patterns and warn others. You can also report suspicious numbers and websites through SafeNet Protect, which adds them to the alert database.

Talk to Someone You Trust

Being scammed can feel isolating, particularly if you feel embarrassed about what happened. Talking to a family member, a friend, or a support line helps. The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan (188) offers free advice in Japanese. Our own support team is also available to talk through what happened and what steps make sense next, without judgement.

Recovery from a scam, financial and emotional, takes time. The steps above address the most urgent practical concerns. If you have questions at any stage, please reach our support team. We are here.