In Yamanashi Prefecture, the annual damage caused by telephone scams has exceeded 100 million yen for 12 consecutive years. 15 people, including police officers, handed out chocolates to shoppers on Valentine's Day and appealed to customers to prevent fraud.
A man in his 80s who received the card said, ''I thought it was easy to remember because it had the word 'chocolate' in it'' The police are calling for vigilance as there is a tendency for fraudulent calls targeting elderly people to increase.