[Respect for the Aged Day is just around the corner! Survey on “fraud countermeasures” for elderly parents who live far away] Approximately 70% of people are worried that their parents will be scammed! On the other hand, it was found that approximately 60% of respondents did not take sufficient measures to prevent fraud.
*Whoscall Co., Ltd.*
Press release: September 12, 2024
**
[Respect for the Aged Day is just around the corner! Survey on “fraud countermeasures” for elderly parents who live far away] Approximately 70% of people are worried that their parents will be scammed! On the other hand, it was found that approximately 60% of respondents did not take sufficient measures to prevent fraud.
*More than 70% of elderly parents use smartphones! Be careful not only about phone calls and SMS, but also about online scams! *
“Whoscall Co., Ltd.” (Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, CEO: Jeff Kuo), which develops an app to prevent phone and internet fraud, is approaching 511 people who have elderly parents who live far away, with Respect for the Aged Day just around the corner. We conducted a survey on fraud prevention measures for elderly parents who live far away.
the current,*
Fraud is not only carried out by phone and SMS, but the number of methods that abuse various internet services such as SNS, EC sites, internet banking, and electronic money is rapidly increasing* I’m doing it. In the 2020 fraud overview, the amount of damage from special fraud increased by approximately 20% from the previous year to approximately 45.2 billion yen, and the amount of damage from SNS-type investment/romance fraud rapidly increased in the second half of 2020 to approximately 45.5 billion yen. 1 billion yen, and the damage caused by illegal remittances (phishing scams) related to internet banking amounted to approximately 8.7 billion yen, an increase of approximately 60% from the previous year. (*1)
In addition, the number of recognized cases of victimization by the elderly aged 65 and over was 14,895, accounting for 78.4% of the total. * Countermeasures against fraud against the elderly are still needed. *
(*2)
(*1) Reference: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications “Overview of comprehensive measures to protect citizens from fraud” (*2)Reference: National Police Agency “Regarding the status of recognition and arrest of special fraud in 2025 (Fixed value version)”
In response to this general trend of scams, Whoscall conducted a survey on Respect for the Aged Day to find out how elderly parents are taking measures to prevent them from becoming victims.
As a result, we found that while many people are feeling anxious, sufficient measures are not being taken to prevent fraud. Finally, we will explain effective methods to prevent fraud, so we hope that this research report will provide you with an opportunity to take measures against fraud.
* [Survey overview] *
Name: “Survey on fraud countermeasures for elderly parents who live far away” Survey target: 511 people with elderly parents (65 years or older) living apart (Survey period: August 26, 2024 to August 29, 2024, Survey method: Internet survey)
*When introducing survey results, please include “Whoscall survey” in the annotation.
*The numerical values of the survey results are rounded to the nearest whole number, so there may be errors when calculating the results cumulatively.
* [Survey Summary] *
■Approximately 70% of respondents said they were worried that their elderly parents, who live far away, might fall victim to fraud. The most common reason is “I panic when something urgent happens.” ■Approximately 30% of elderly parents take measures themselves and their families to prevent them from falling victim to fraud. On the other hand, it was found that approximately 60% of respondents did not take sufficient measures to prevent fraud.
■Parents themselves tend to take measures such as being careful about receiving calls from people they don’t know.
Measures taken by families tend to include “active communication with elderly parents”
■More than 80% of parents who have not taken measures against fraud answered that it would be better to take measures
The most common reason for not taking measures is “I don’t know what to do” ■More than 70% of parents who live far away are found to be “smartphone users” In addition to phone calls and emails, you can also use various internet services such as messaging apps such as LINE and SMS.
* [Survey results] *
* Approximately 70% of respondents said they were worried that their elderly parents, who live far away, might fall victim to fraud * * The most common reason is “I panic when something urgent happens” * We surveyed 511 people who have elderly parents who live far away. When we surveyed parents to see if they were worried about being scammed, we found that 68% of them were.
Furthermore, when we asked those who answered “I’m worried” why, the most common answer was “I panic when something urgent happens (41%)”, followed by “I don’t do things without consulting anyone.” (29%) and 22% said, “Even if it’s impossible, I believe it’s a good story.”
We also investigated the reasons why respondents answered “I don’t feel worried.” The most common response was “Because I can clearly refuse when (my parents) ask me (32%)”, followed by “Somehow (26%)” and “I don’t believe right away even if someone close to me recommends it” (19%). It became.
* Approximately 30% of parents and their families take measures to prevent their elderly parents from becoming victims of fraud * * On the other hand, it was found that approximately 60% of
respondents did not take sufficient measures to prevent fraud *
We investigated whether elderly parents are taking measures to avoid being scammed.
As a result, “Elderly parents themselves and their families are taking measures (31%),” “Elderly parents are taking measures (7%),” “Elderly parents are not taking measures, but family members are “I am taking measures (5%),” “Neither my elderly parents nor their family members are taking any measures (34%),” “My elderly parents are not taking any precautions, and I am not sure if my family is taking any precautions.” (5%) %),” “My family hasn’t taken any precautions and I don’t know if my elderly parents are taking precautions (7%),” and “I don’t know if my elderly parents or other family members are taking precautions (12%).” .
From this result, *
Approximately 30% of the victims were elderly parents and family members, and it was revealed that they were taking measures to prevent fraud. On the other hand, about 60% of people either have not taken any precautions or are not sure whether their parents or family members are taking precautions. This suggests that sufficient fraud prevention measures have not been taken. *
* Parents tend to take measures such as being careful about receiving calls from people they don’t know *
* Family measures tend to include “active communication with elderly parents” * We surveyed those who answered that they were taking measures against fraud to find out what kind of measures they take to prevent fraud. When it comes to anti-fraud measures that parents themselves take, the most common answer is “If I answer the phone and it’s a stranger, I hang up (41%),” followed by “Calls that are not registered in the phone book.” (36%), “I have decided on someone I can talk to if I feel suspicious (28%),” and “I have decided on a password for when I call my family.” Yes (27%).
In addition, “I participate in local crime prevention courses (20%),” “I try to meet up with my family frequently (19%),” and “I try to talk to my family on the phone frequently (19%).” %)”. From these results, we found that *parents are especially careful about receiving calls from strangers. *
In addition, regarding the measures taken by family members to prevent fraud, the most common response was “Telephone elderly parents frequently (48%),” followed by “Telling elderly parents to be careful about scams (43%).” ” “I try to contact my elderly parents frequently by text message (34%)” “I tell them not to answer calls from phone numbers that are not registered in their phone book (30%)” I did.
From these results, we found that * families often proactively communicate with their parents who live far away when it comes to fraud prevention measures. *
*More than 80% of parents who have not taken countermeasures against fraud answered that they should take measures *
* The most common reason for not taking measures is “I don’t know what to do” * When we asked 290 people who answered that they had not taken measures to prevent fraud by their elderly parents or that they were not sure whether they were taking measures against fraud, over 80% of them answered, I think it would be better to take the following steps.”
Furthermore, when asked why they were not currently taking measures against fraud, approximately half of them answered, “I don’t know what measures to take.” This was followed by “because my elderly parents don’t feel it’s necessary (27%)” and “because I don’t have time to take precautions” (17%). *
It has become clear that while we feel that it is better to take countermeasures, we do not know what kind of countermeasures should be taken. *
* More than 70% of parents who live apart are found to be “smartphone users” * * In addition to phone calls and emails, you can also use various internet services such as messaging apps such as LINE and SMS * We investigated the types of mobile phones used by elderly parents who live far away. The results were “smartphone (72%)”, “flip phone (22%)”, and “no mobile phone (7%)”. We found that over 70% of elderly people use smartphones.
Furthermore, when we investigated what services people use on their mobile phones, we found that “phone calls (77%),” “emails (58%),” “messaging apps (such as LINE) (47%),” “SMS (43%),” and “SMS (43%).” Internet search (30%). Other reasons cited include “Internet shopping (18%),” “SNS (14%),” and “electronic money (11%).”
Based on this result, about half of the respondents use messaging apps as a means of communication, in addition to phone calls and emails. Furthermore, we found that they use internet services such as internet searches, online shopping, SNS, and electronic money.
the current,*
With the number of fraud cases abusing a wide range of internet services on the rise, this suggests that it is necessary to take measures to prevent fraud not only in the telephone and email domain, but also in the online domain. *
[Comment from Lo Weicheng, Head of Japan Business, Whoscall Co., Ltd.] This survey found that although many people are concerned,
approximately 60% of people do not take sufficient measures to prevent fraud. Also, since many of the responses were “I don’t know how to prevent fraud,” I would like to explain some effective
countermeasures.
* -Countermeasures against fraud for parents who live far away-* * 1. Share information about the latest fraud trends with elderly parents and communicate with them on a daily basis *
Being on the lookout for fraudulent information on a daily basis and understanding the methods behind it will lead to your suspicions that it may be a scam.
In addition, by sharing information with parents who live far away from their families, such as “There has been a scam like this recently,” and by communicating with them frequently, we can create an environment where parents living far away can feel comfortable talking to their families immediately if they feel suspicious. It is also important to make them in advance.
* 2. Utilize “fraud prevention app” *
The survey found that over 70% of elderly parents are smartphone users and also use internet services. We recommend using an effective anti-fraud app not only for phone and SMS fraud, but also for fraud that abuses internet services, which have been rapidly increasing recently.
The fraud prevention app “Whoscall” will show you how you can prevent fraud damage. It’s easy to set up, so please use Respect for the Aged Day as an opportunity to support parents in downloading the app onto their smartphones and activating it.
-Example of Whoscall function-
* ■Automatic identification of phone number*
Automatically identifies the caller based on the database, and if it is detected that the caller may be used for a crime, a warning such as “Fraud Call” will be displayed on the incoming call screen*
will be done. Additionally, if the call is a sales call, it will be displayed as “Sales Call”. Also,*
Even if you have not registered your phone number with the government or bank, it will be displayed on the screen, so you will not miss important calls. *
* ■SMS Assistant*
Automatically filters suspicious SMS messages.
Effective against phishing scams.
* ■Automatic web checker*
This feature instantly warns users of dangerous websites where scams are carried out.
In addition to phishing scams, there have been recent increases in “EC site fraud,” in which fake EC sites are used to defraud product buyers out of their money, and “SNS-type investment fraud,” which is an investment scam that exploits SNS advertisements. It is also effective for fraud.
* [What is “Whoscall”, an anti-telephone/internet fraud app from Taiwan]*
The smartphone app “Whoscall” developed and provided by Taiwan’s Gogolook has currently been downloaded over 100 million times worldwide, with one in two people in Taiwan having downloaded it. CEO Jeff Kuo received the Taiwan President’s Innovation Award in September 2020 from Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen.
We cooperate with the CIB (Criminal Investigation Bureau) in Taiwan, the FSS (Korean Financial Supervisory Service) in South Korea, the PCT (Thai Police Cyber Task Force) in Thailand, the Cyber Crime Investigation Center in the Philippines, and the Royal Malaysian Police and state government in Malaysia. We are working to prevent fraud damage. In Japan, it has been adopted in demonstration experiment projects in Fukuoka City and Shibuya Ward that will lead to solving social issues using cutting-edge technologies such as AI and IoT. Whoscall is an APP in 2015
Awarded as the best app on Google Store in 2013 and 2016.
It won Best App on Google Play and was even featured in a speech by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
Whoscall has the largest database of 2.6 billion national phone numbers in East Asia and uses AI technology to detect fraudulent phone numbers. In the case of SMS-based fraud, Whoscall uses hyperlink scanning technology to detect suspicious SMS or malicious links in just 0.5 seconds and notify your Android device. In consideration of the recent rapid increase in corona fraud, Gogolook established a Japanese corporation (Whoscall Inc.) in Fukuoka City, which has abundant support for startup companies.
We aim to continue expanding our services in the Japanese market and contributing to the safety and security of consumers.
Whoscall (iOS/Android version): https://app.adjust.com/1btreuxk
* 【Company Profile】*
Company name: Whoscall Co., Ltd.
Representative: Jeff Kuo (Guo Jianfu)
Location: Fukuoka City
Established: November 2020
Business details: Operation and development of telephone number identification service “Whoscall”
URL: https://whoscall.com/ja/