Japan Sees Record Losses in Online Banking Fraud and Ransomware in 2025

• •Online banking fraud losses in Japan reached a record 10.4 billion yen in 2025.
• •Phishing scams accounted for 90% of fraudulent online banking transfers.
• •Ransomware attacks rose to 226 cases, primarily impacting small and medium-sized firms.

In 2025, Japan experienced unprecedented losses from online banking fraud, totaling approximately 10.4 billion yen ($65 million), according to the National Police Agency. This figure represents an increase of 1.7 billion yen from the previous year, with individuals accounting for 55% of the losses and companies for 45%. The surge in company losses reached around 4.7 billion yen, more than quadrupling the previous year's amount. Phishing scams were identified as the primary method for these fraudulent transfers, comprising 90% of cases, with a record high of 2,454,297 incidents reported. Additionally, the number of fake websites rose by 300,000 to over 1 million. Ransomware attacks also increased, with 226 reported cases, affecting mainly small and medium-sized firms. In a survey, half of the impacted companies reported recovery costs exceeding 10 million yen, with five cases surpassing 100 million yen. Most firms struggled to restore operations due to data encryption or deletion by attackers, despite having backup systems in place.