NPA white paper highlights crimes surrounding social media
In a special section of the fiscal 2025 report, the NPA noted that the spread of social media has made it easy for tokuryū loosely organized crime groups comprising anonymous members to contact ordinary citizens and commit crimes.
In 2024, the number of social media-linked investment and romance fraud cases detected by police around the country exceeded 10,000, with victims defrauded of some ¥127.2 billion in total, according to the report.
Social media is also used for recruiting perpetrators of tokuryu groups, as well as drug trafficking and child prostitution.
The report outlined investigative methods such as "digital forensics" for extracting data from confiscated items such as smartphones and recovering information contained in broken electronic devices for use as evidence. Also featured are cryptocurrency-tracking techniques and the use of artificial intelligence for cyber patrolling.
Pointing to challenges such as strengthening the system for cyber personnel development and addressing encryption technology, the report said police will step up efforts to develop new investigation methods such as officers using fictitious identities to approach crime groups and opening bank accounts under the names of fictitious parties with the aim to have crime groups use them so that the flow of money is monitored.
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