And What Came After
The Reality of the Police Report — And What Came After**
On my fourth visit to the police station, the officer in charge told me:
“Your police report is complete.”
The document placed in front of me had far more pages than I expected.
All the materials I had submitted — the LINE messages, the bank transfer records, every piece of evidence — had been organized into a single case file.
For a moment, I thought:
“If it’s this thorough, maybe something will finally move forward.”
But the words that followed were not what I imagined.
“This is where things come to a close.” “You may not get your money back.”
Then he added:
“Crimes committed overseas using the internet are extremely difficult to investigate.” “In many cases, the criminals’ IT skills exceed what investigators can track.”
I was at a loss for words.
Part of me had believed that once I filed a report, the police would take action — that they would pursue the criminals.
But reality was different.
Even if you file a police report, it does not guarantee an investigation. That decision lies entirely with the police.
Still, I had no other options. All I could do was leave it in their hands.
After that, I began researching on my own, looking for any possible way to recover even a small amount of money.
That’s when I learned about the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Japan, which publishes announcements under the “Remittance Fraud Damage Recovery Act.”
When a scammer’s bank account is frozen, its remaining balance is listed publicly. If the account you transferred money to is included, the remaining funds are distributed among the victims.
I allowed myself a small hope:
“Maybe a little might come back.”
I checked the listings. I had transferred money to 16 different accounts.
Only 5 of them had any remaining balance.
But the amounts were shockingly small.
One account, for example, had only 2,000 yen left.
That tiny balance would be divided among multiple victims.
Naturally, the amount I would receive was even smaller.
To be honest—
The reality was far from what the word “recovery” made me imagine.
The system exists. But the money you actually get back is minimal.
That was my experience.
Even so, I had no other path to take. I had to leave it to the system.
There was one more exchange that stayed with me.
The officer asked:
“May we make this case public?”
He explained that publishing it could help prevent similar crimes.
I thought for a moment and answered:
“Please don’t make it public.”
My reason was simple.
I didn’t want my family — who live in the same area — to worry unnecessarily.
I had told my child that I was a victim of fraud, but if the details were published, they would immediately know it was me.
So I asked them not to disclose it.
The police then handed me a single sheet of paper titled “Contact Memo.”
- Report date and time: July 24, 2023, 17:00
- Criminal case acceptance number: 2023-395
- ○○ Police Station, Criminal Affairs Division
And in the notes section:
“This memo is not an official certificate of report acceptance.”
That sentence left a strange impression on me.
After that—
I never received any contact from the police.
I called once to ask about the status, but they told me:
“We cannot confirm anything.”
Since then, there has been no communication at all.
Looking back now, I think this was the moment when one chapter ended.
The stage where I had to accept reality.
And after this, I would face an even more difficult period in a different form.
Next time: Episode 10 – Sleepless Nights The hardest part came after the scam itself.
End of Episode 9 – Part 2
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