Tobira Systems Report on Special Fraud and Phishing Scams (February 2026)
Spam calls saw a significant decrease in international numbers, with an increase in mobile and 050 numbers. Fake police scams were prevalent with international numbers like '+1' and '+875', sometimes originating from calls impersonating service providers. In February, SMS messages impersonating the 'National Tax Agency' were frequent, likely capitalizing on tax filing season. Corporate fraudulent transfer damage reaches 4.7 billion yen, a fourfold increase year-on-year, with three new tactics to watch out for as the new fiscal year begins.
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- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 07:00
Tobira Systems Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, President and CEO: Atsushi Aketa, Stock Code: 4441, hereinafter referred to as "Tobira Systems"), a provider of countermeasures services for special fraud and phishing scams, will release its independent research report on scam calls and scam SMS confirmed by our company's research in February 2026. (Research Period: February 1, 2026 - February 28, 2026)
We will also provide information on recent trends confirmed by our company's research.
◉ Spam calls: International numbers significantly decreased, mobile and 050 numbers increased
◉ Fake police scams frequent with international numbers '+1' and '+875', sometimes originating from calls impersonating service providers
◉ In February, SMS messages impersonating the 'National Tax Agency' were frequent, likely capitalizing on tax filing season
◉ Corporate fraudulent transfer damage reaches 4.7 billion yen, 4x year-on-year; 3 new tactics targeting companies in the new fiscal year to watch out for
1. Scam Call Report
○Spam calls: International numbers significantly decreased, mobile and 050 numbers increased
In February 2026, the breakdown of new numbers registered in Tobira Systems' spam call database was as follows: international numbers accounted for 44.9% (down 22.3% from the previous month), a significant decrease from the prior month. Meanwhile, mobile phone numbers were 24.0% (up 7.9%), 050 IP phone numbers were 14.6% (up 8.3%), and landline numbers were 9.1% (up 2.4%), all of which increased compared to the previous month.
○Fake police scams frequent, cases originating from calls impersonating service providers also observed
Our research found that the international country codes with the highest number of incoming calls in February 2026 were, in order: North American regions such as the United States and Canada, Global Mobile Satellite System (GMSS) (Note 1), Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) (Note 2), Russia/Kazakhstan, and the United Kingdom.
'Fake police scams', which involve impersonating police officers to extort money under the guise of an investigation, have continued to be frequently observed originating from number ranges starting with '+1' and '+875' since the previous month. Furthermore, it was found that in fake police scams, automated voice messages often play first, stating things like 'Your mobile phone will be suspended in two hours' or 'Your card is being used fraudulently.' Many calls impersonating telecommunications carriers or credit card companies are also occurring from these country codes.
(Note 1) A system that performs communication via communication satellites from radio stations installed on mobile bodies such as automobiles, ships, and aircraft, or from satellite mobile phone terminals.
(Note 2) Assigned by Recommendation E.164 of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for telephone number planning...