The Ministry of Justice Warns of Suspicious Phone Calls
Friday, September 27, 2019
Companies that employ or plan on employing foreigners should take caution.
The Ministry of Justice regularly posts helpful announcements on their website. Companies that are employing foreign workers should check this page occasionally and share pertinent information with their employees. The following information is a translation of a page from the Japanese Ministry of Justice website:
Be Wary of Suspicious Phone Calls Claiming to be From the Immigration Bureau
Recently, there have been a large number of reports to several regional Immigration Bureaus in Japan about suspicious phone calls. The callers claim to be members of the bureau, and an automated voice in Chinese, or a voice speaking Chinese or broken Japanese says things like the following:
· Your passport and residence card was found to be misused in Shanghai, and therefore you cannot enter the country at this time.
· Your passport was used illegally in Shanghai, so you cannot leave the country.
· There was a problem with your passport and visa, and it cannot be renewed as is.
· We’ve identified a forged passport used in china that was based off of your passport. Therefore, we you to bring your passport, bankbook, and something to verify your identity to the Immigration Bureau.
The Immigration Bureau does not phone citizens regarding problems with passports issued in various countries. Please be wary if you receive a call like this.
If you do receive a call like this, do not answer. Call your regional Immigration Bureau. Our homepage has a list of all regional Immigration Bureaus in Japan.
Update:
We’ve been notified that suspicious phone calls like the following have been received. The person on the other end claimed to be from the immigration bureau and spoke in broken Japanese.
· Expenses must be paid in order to return to your home country. We want you to transfer the unpaid funds to the designated bank account.
Update:
We’ve been notified that suspicious phone calls like the following have been received. The Immigration Services Agency of Japan will not require you to transfer money related to immigration proceedings at any time.
· The callers claim a non-Japanese acquaintance was stopped at the airport during the immigration inspection and ask you to pay an immigration fee.
Update:
We’ve been notified that suspicious phone calls like the following have been received. The callers claim to be from the Immigration Bureau, and speak Japanese (During the call they transfer to a person who speaks Chinese).
· A person who claims to be from the Immigration bureau says there is an abnormality found in your passport, and instructs you to contact people who pretend to be police from your home country. After a long correspondence, they will finally contact you saying that a decision has been made at trial to take you into custody. They will then contact you again saying the matter can be resolved by paying bail money.
