Massive Tech Support Scam Targets Japanese Users with 13M+ Emails

A tech support scam campaign has sent over 13 million emails to Japanese addresses from mid-December 2025 to May 2026. The campaign utilized workplace-themed lures to attract victims to fake security alert websites. More than 240,000 IP addresses were involved, and over 33,000 disposable fake alert sites were used as landing pages. The scam targets both individual consumers and organizations, indicating a potential shift towards enterprise targets. Despite a decrease in reported cases of such scams, the average loss per case has doubled, highlighting the financial impact on victims. The campaign peaked in February 2026, with an average of 30,000 emails still being sent daily as of May 2026. The Japanese National Police Agency reported 1,048 cases of support-pretext billing fraud, resulting in losses of 1.49 billion yen.

Key Points: • Over 13 million scam emails sent to Japanese users from December 2025 to May 2026. • The campaign involved more than 240,000 IP addresses and over 33,000 fake alert sites. • Average losses per scam case have doubled, despite a decrease in reported cases.