Consumer consultations in Japan over fraudulent websites advertising sales of rice have been surging in recent months, the Consumer Affairs Agency said, warning that the number of such sites may increase further amid high prices for the staple.
Reports about fraudulent online rice shops to consumer affairs centers around the country spiked to 335 cases in April and May alone, on par with the number of cases logged in all of fiscal 2024, at 337.
In one case, a consumer reported being unable to cancel an order for rice after not receiving a confirmation email for their purchase via credit card. In another, a consumer received a receipt for a purchase of sunglasses instead of rice.
It is important to carefully check whether prices are not suspiciously low and if company contact information is correctly displayed in order to identify scam websites, according to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan.
Saving screenshots of final confirmation pages for purchases is an effective way to prepare for possible issues, it added.
The Consumer Affairs Agency said that malicious sites may increase, after the government started selling stockpiled rice to the public.
Yutaka Arai, commissioner of the agency, told a news conference last week that he hopes consumers will carefully check whether websites are reliable.
AloJapan.com