Alert regarding fraudulent billing impersonating Yahoo Corporation, attempting to collect payments under the pretext of unpaid fees via SMS.

Since January 2017, there have been reports to various Consumer Affairs Centers regarding fraudulent claims that send SMS (Short Message Service) messages to consumers' smartphones and other mobile phones stating things like, "You have unpaid fees. If you do not contact us, we will proceed with legal action. Yahoo." Additionally, consumers who contact the phone number listed in the SMS are told, "You have an outstanding balance of ● yen for one year of Yahoo services," and "Please purchase a gift card at a nearby convenience store and provide the gift card number as a payment method for the unpaid fees for paid services on the internet."
The Consumer Affairs Agency has provided information based on the provisions of Article 38, Paragraph 1 of the Consumer Safety Act (Act No. 50 of 2009) regarding transactions with "business operators impersonating Yahoo Inc." It has been reported that there are acts that may unjustly harm consumer interests (such as deceiving or intimidating consumers to confuse them). Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence or expansion of consumer damage, we would like to inform all consumers.

For more details, please visit the Consumer Affairs Agency website.

• Consumer Affairs Agency Website(External Link)