Photo/Illutration Makiko Nakamuro, an economics professor at Keio University, urges caution against a fake X account impersonating her. (From Makiko Nakamuro’s X account)

Shinya Yamada may not be a household name outside of Japan’s accounting world, but he has twice been impersonated for apparent online swindles.

Yamada, 48, a certified public accountant whose office is in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, is one of an increasing number of “ordinary” people whose images and social network accounts are being copied for nefarious purposes.

Such imposters had focused primarily on duplicating the accounts of celebrities and other famous people to dupe their fans into sending money to fake charities and other schemes.

Experts say the imposters are also directing social media users to fraudulent websites through “impersonation ads.”

Yamada runs a YouTube channel with more than 800,000 subscribers and has 40,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter). But he said his name recognition falls “short of being labeled an internet influencer.”

In September last year, Yamada found that his picture had been copied and used without permission in an Facebook advertisement for an “investment community.”

In mid-April, Yamada learned that a fake account under his name had been set up on X. The photo and profile information were identical to those used in his genuine account.

A follower reported the bogus account to the site operator, and it was deleted.

Yamada said he believes fraudulent ads and impersonators are targeting a much wider range of people.

“Those imposters have apparently formed a system that can mass-produce fake accounts at a low cost,” Yamada said. “Leaving them unchecked will allow them to do whatever they want without being punished. Countermeasures should be taken as soon as possible.”

Victims often do not know that their identities are being used until a follower or acquaintance blows the whistle.

Last summer, a self-employed worker, 30, who lives in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward, received a message from a friend asking if he had changed his Instagram account.

The man was puzzled.

The friend showed him an Instagram account featuring his name and a photo of him taken from another social network site.

The profile section said the account “has newly been created.” The bogus account blocked the man’s real account, so he could not see what the imposter was posting.

The man contacted followers he knew personally and reported the incident to Meta, the U.S.-based operator of Instagram.

The fake account switched to someone else’s name a few days later.

“I wouldn’t have noticed it at all, unless a friend of mine had told me,” the man said.

LIMITS TO COUNTERMEASURES

Makiko Nakamuro, an economics professor at Keio University, was also victimized by an imposter on X in May.

The fake X account uploaded “slightly awkward Japanese” comments that said Nakamuro “spends time sorting out promising stocks every week.”

A link to the Line messaging app was posted, too.

Nakamuro said she heard that swindlers often pretend to be researchers who specialize in economics or statistics.

“There are limitations to what victims can do on their own,” she said. “It will be essential to tighten regulations.”

False accounts of public offices, including the Imperial Household Agency and the Nara prefectural government, have also been spotted.

Yo Mikami, a journalist knowledgeable about information technology affairs, said he noticed fake accounts popping up en masse on X over the past one to two years.

For Instagram, the number of such instances seemed to start rising significantly four to five years ago.

Those imposter accounts follow users connected to the impersonated victim. If they follow back, the imposter can send direct messages under the victim’s name.

For example, the messages read “thank you for following me” and “check this website, too.” In many cases, the links provided take users to paid services and Line communities.

Mikami called on people to be wary.

“You should consider ignoring messages if they appear to be from close friends and famous individuals but include links or Line IDs,” he said.

(This article was written by Shiori Tabuchi and Hiroshi Nakano.)

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