Participation in Initiative to Close Phishing Sites
au Financial Service Corporation is joining a new initiative led by the Credit Card Association of Japan, involving 13 credit card companies, to combat rising phishing attacks. This collaboration aims to significantly expand the closure of phishing sites, targeting over 90% of non-financial institution phishing sites to reduce fraud and enhance customer security in credit card usage.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 31, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 13:39 (17h 39m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 17, 2026 at 00:56 (371h 16m after Collected)
au Financial Service Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Atsushi Nagano, hereinafter referred to as "our company") will participate in an initiative led by the Credit Card Association of Japan (JCCA) from April 2026, in which 13 domestic credit card companies will jointly work to close phishing sites.
The damage from fraudulent credit card use continues to remain high, estimated at approximately 51 billion yen in 2025. Furthermore, it is estimated that about 75% of the damage is due to phishing, making phishing countermeasures a key issue for the credit card industry. The number of phishing reports reaches approximately 2.45 million cases annually and is on an increasing trend. (Note 1)
Our company has previously been advancing countermeasures against phishing sites impersonating the "au PAY Card." However, fraudulent use methods are becoming more sophisticated daily, making industry-wide efforts indispensable. We will now commence collaboration with 13 domestic credit card companies, ACSiON Inc., the Phishing Control Council, and JCCA to detect and close phishing sites, thereby striving to suppress fraudulent use damage and create an environment where customers can use credit cards with peace of mind.
[About the Initiative]
This initiative, which began in 2025, aims to significantly broaden the scope of target companies for phishing site closure, including EC/service providers, airlines/transportation operators, and delivery service providers, which are frequently used by attackers. With the increased participation of companies like ours, it aims to cover over 90% of phishing site brands that are not financial institutions, used for the illicit acquisition of credit card information. This is expected to reduce the number of phishing site URLs impersonating non-financial institutions reported in Japan by half, further strengthening deterrence against overall phishing damage.
JCCA Release: https://www.jcca-office.gr.jp/info/1531
[Participating Companies]
* AEON Financial Service Co., Ltd.
* TOYOTA FINANCE CORPORATION
* NTT DOCOMO, INC.
* Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Limited
* EPOS CARD CO., LTD.
* MUFG Nicos Co., Ltd.
* au Financial Service Corporation
* UC CARD Co., Ltd.
* Credit Saison Co., Ltd.
* Rakuten Card Co., Ltd.
* JCB Co., Ltd.
* ACSiON Inc.
* Seven Card Service Co., Ltd.
* Phishing Control Council
* Seven CS Card Service Co., Ltd.
* Credit Card Association (JCCA)
Furthermore, to ensure customers can use our services with peace of mind, we are implementing measures against fraudulent use, such as an AI-powered fraud detection system operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the introduction of a strong customer authentication service (3D Secure), and instant usage notifications via email and app push notifications.
For details on the security and safety measures for "au PAY Card," please refer to here: https://www.kddi-fs.com/security/
(Note 1) Quoted from JCCA Release dated 3/31: "Domestic Credit Card Companies and ACSiON Inc., Phishing Control Council, and Credit Card Association of Japan Expand Initiative to Close Phishing Sites – Aiming to Halve the Number of Phishing Sites that Trick Users out of Credit Card Information –" https://www.jcca-office.gr.jp/info/1531
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The damage from fraudulent credit card use continues to remain high, estimated at approximately 51 billion yen in 2025. Furthermore, it is estimated that about 75% of the damage is due to phishing, making phishing countermeasures a key issue for the credit card industry. The number of phishing reports reaches approximately 2.45 million cases annually and is on an increasing trend. (Note 1)
Our company has previously been advancing countermeasures against phishing sites impersonating the "au PAY Card." However, fraudulent use methods are becoming more sophisticated daily, making industry-wide efforts indispensable. We will now commence collaboration with 13 domestic credit card companies, ACSiON Inc., the Phishing Control Council, and JCCA to detect and close phishing sites, thereby striving to suppress fraudulent use damage and create an environment where customers can use credit cards with peace of mind.
[About the Initiative]
This initiative, which began in 2025, aims to significantly broaden the scope of target companies for phishing site closure, including EC/service providers, airlines/transportation operators, and delivery service providers, which are frequently used by attackers. With the increased participation of companies like ours, it aims to cover over 90% of phishing site brands that are not financial institutions, used for the illicit acquisition of credit card information. This is expected to reduce the number of phishing site URLs impersonating non-financial institutions reported in Japan by half, further strengthening deterrence against overall phishing damage.
JCCA Release: https://www.jcca-office.gr.jp/info/1531
[Participating Companies]
* AEON Financial Service Co., Ltd.
* TOYOTA FINANCE CORPORATION
* NTT DOCOMO, INC.
* Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Limited
* EPOS CARD CO., LTD.
* MUFG Nicos Co., Ltd.
* au Financial Service Corporation
* UC CARD Co., Ltd.
* Credit Saison Co., Ltd.
* Rakuten Card Co., Ltd.
* JCB Co., Ltd.
* ACSiON Inc.
* Seven Card Service Co., Ltd.
* Phishing Control Council
* Seven CS Card Service Co., Ltd.
* Credit Card Association (JCCA)
Furthermore, to ensure customers can use our services with peace of mind, we are implementing measures against fraudulent use, such as an AI-powered fraud detection system operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the introduction of a strong customer authentication service (3D Secure), and instant usage notifications via email and app push notifications.
For details on the security and safety measures for "au PAY Card," please refer to here: https://www.kddi-fs.com/security/
(Note 1) Quoted from JCCA Release dated 3/31: "Domestic Credit Card Companies and ACSiON Inc., Phishing Control Council, and Credit Card Association of Japan Expand Initiative to Close Phishing Sites – Aiming to Halve the Number of Phishing Sites that Trick Users out of Credit Card Information –" https://www.jcca-office.gr.jp/info/1531
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