RITA Foods Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Shinya Imoto, Headquarters: Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture) has confirmed the occurrence of malicious "impersonation fraud" where individuals are posing as representatives of our company and our brand on social media platforms such as TikTok and LINE, offering fake PR opportunities (video posting requests) and collaboration plans to the general public and influencers.

This is a criminal act by an external third party using our company name without authorization. There has been no leakage of customer personal information from our company's systems. Furthermore, our company will never, under any circumstances, request payment from the general public or influencers for promotional activities. We prioritize the safety of our customers and all stakeholders involved. To prevent and mitigate damage, we are promptly disclosing the facts of this matter and the confirmed methods used, and issuing this warning.

Confirmed Specific Methods

The following methods are currently confirmed, where individuals exploit our product names and fake LINE accounts to gain trust and ultimately defraud people of money:

Contact on Social Media

Direct messages (DMs) are received from accounts that are not our official accounts, stating "We have a PR opportunity for video posting" or "We will pay you for it."

Presentation of Fake Representative Names

They attempt to gain trust by impersonating non-existent employees, such as "Promotion Manager: Yoko Moriyama (もりやま ようこ)."

Execution of Fake Business Partnership Agreements

Methods have been confirmed where fake contracts are executed electronically, using our company name, representative's name, and product name "Bane Shizenzukuri" without authorization. A characteristic feature is the inclusion of conditions such as "120,000 yen (remuneration and advertising fee) will be paid on the contract signing date."

Inducement to Fake LINE Accounts, etc.

Users are prompted to add unofficial LINE accounts as friends. Currently, guidance to a fraudulent account (ID: @618myxnb) has been confirmed. Subsequently, users are asked to register on a fake contract and remuneration management site prepared by the criminal group.

Request for Advance Payment

After misleading users into believing that "remuneration has been deposited" on the fake site, they cause an error when the user attempts to withdraw funds. Following this, they demand money, with a fake customer support claiming that "system authentication fees must be paid in advance, in the tens of thousands of yen, to release the withdrawal restriction."

*Example message from a fake LINE account

*Part of a fake business partnership agreement

What Our Company Will "Never Do" (Points to Avoid Becoming a Victim)

To avoid falling victim to fraud, please be aware of the following:

Our company will absolutely never request payment of money in the name of deposits, registration fees, system authentication fees, etc., for PR opportunities or campaigns.

Regarding Our Official LINE Account

The ID for our official LINE account is as follows. Please be aware that any contact received under our company name from an ID other than this is entirely fake.

RITA Foods Co., Ltd. Official LINE ID: @zmq1306b

*A "green verification badge" is displayed next to the account name. Accounts without this mark are fake.

Regarding Our Official TikTok Account

The ID for our official TikTok account operated by our company is as follows. Please be aware that any contact received under our company name from an ID other than this is entirely fake.

RITA Foods Co., Ltd. Official TikTok ID: @kenko_dog

*Account ID is "kenko_dog"

Request to Customers and Related Parties

If you receive any suspicious contact, please absolutely do not reply to the message, access any URLs, add the fraudulent LINE account mentioned above, or enter into any electronic contracts, etc., to prevent trouble and financial loss.

If you have already made payments or provided personal information, please promptly consult your nearest police station (Cybercrime Consultation Desk) or consumer affairs center. For detailed information, please also check our official website.

Our Future Actions

Our company, in cooperation with our legal counsel, is proceeding with measures including legal actions such as requesting the deletion of relevant fake accounts, reporting to platform operators, and consulting with the police (Public Security Division/Cybercrime Countermeasures Division).

Company Profile

Company Name: RITA Foods Co., Ltd.

Representative: Shinya Imoto, President and CEO

Location: SDK Kumamoto Building 5F, 2-1-42 Tsuboi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture

Business Activities: Mail-order sales of horse meat, mail-order sales of premium dog food, healthcare business, etc.

URL: https://rita-foods.com/

Inquiries Regarding This Matter

RITA Group Holdings Co., Ltd. Corporate Planning

TEL: 096-274-1001

MAIL: media_promotion_unit@ritagroup.co.jp

RITA Group Holdings Co., Ltd.

RITA Group, headquartered in Kumamoto City, is a holding company with strengths in web marketing. RITA Foods Co., Ltd. operates mail-order sales of horse meat and dog food, and the personal training gym "RITA Style." RITA Marketing Partners Co., Ltd. handles services such as hometown tax support and Amazon operation agency.

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  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: 注意喚起