SAITAMA, JAPAN - A middle school student in Hasuda, Saitama Prefecture, has been scammed out of 150,000 yen (S$2,340) via a bank-transfer fraud, police said.
According to the police, the 12-year-old boy received an e-mail on his mobile phone Monday asking him to contact a phone number as he had failed to pay a fee for using a Web site for animated films. When the boy called the number, a threatening male voice demanded he pay a fee, saying "If you don't pay, I'll go to your home."
After paying 50,000 yen into a designated account, the boy called the number again, but was told to pay an additional 100,000 yen for his use of another animated film site. The boy again paid, taking cash in both instances from his father's desk.
On Thursday, he explained the situation to his parents and reported it to the police. The boy reportedly has used an animated film site before.
