Japan's Gold Bar Scam Losses Surpass $70 Million in First Half of 2026

Japan's gold bar scam losses reached an alarming 8.13 billion yen in the first half of 2026, according to the National Police Agency (NPA). This figure has already surpassed last year's total of 6.02 billion yen.

The majority of these losses, approximately two-thirds or 5.3 billion yen, were caused by scams involving individuals posing as police officers. These scammers typically claim that their victims' bank accounts have been used in crimes and instruct them to provide gold bars as part of a supposed investigation.

A significant number of the victims affected by these scams are older people, with those aged 60 and over accounting for 90% of the total. Many of these individuals had never purchased gold before and were tricked into making their first purchase after being directed to a particular dealer by the scammers.