News in Easy English: Bank worker in Japan's Gunma Pref. helps man not lose money in scam

The Mainichi

12-05-2025

TOMIOKA, Gunma -- A bank worker in Gunma prefecture helped a man not lose money in a "romance scam." A bad person tried to take the man's money. The bank worker saw the problem and called the police. On May 8, the police said "thank you" to her for helping.
The bank worker's name is Kumiko Jingu. She is 51 years old. She works at a bank in Shimonita, Gunma Prefecture.
On April 25, a man around 60 years old came to use a bank machine (ATM). He wanted to send 100,000 yen (about $686) to a woman. He met this woman online only one day before.
Jingu went to help him. She asked, "Why do you want to send money?" The man said, "To change money to foreign money." Jingu thought this was strange, because her bank usually does not do that.
Jingu asked him more questions. The man showed messages from the online woman. The woman wrote about changing yen into dollars. It looked very strange.
Jingu felt worried. She took the man inside the bank and asked more questions. She talked with other bank workers. Then they called the police. Police found out it was really a scam. The woman online was not real. She wanted to take the man's money.
The man told police he met this woman online in February. She said nice things to him. Later she wrote, "Send 100,000 yen, and you will get 1,000 yen more every day." He believed her and wanted to send the money.
Jingu said she is happy the man did not lose money. This was her second time helping stop a scam, and her second award from Gunma police.
Police chief Hitoshi Hirukawa said, "Thanks to Jingu, the man did not lose money. We hope she will always call us if something looks strange."
(Japanese original by Sakae Kato, Maebashi Bureau)
Vocabulary
bank: a place where people keep money safe.
scam: when bad people tell lies or use tricks to get money.
ATM: a machine to get money out or send money from a bank.
online: on the internet, using phone or computer.