Beware of trouble caused by social media!

Sample Cases

[Case 1]

Seeing a social media ad saying "You can earn one or two million yen per month," I accessed a side job site and bought an information product on how to make money. The seller phoned and persuaded me to sign up for a support plan. Then I transmitted 150,000 yen to a specified bank account.

(man in his 20s)

[Case 2]

When I was exchanging messages with a social media friend, the friend said, "Let's communicate on another site," and I was directed to a dating site. After that, the dating site charged me fees one after another with many excuses. I paid about 160,000 yen in total.

(woman in her 20s)

Problems and Advice

An increasing number of young consumers in their 10s and 20s have experienced problems caused by social media. More specifically, these problems have been stemmed from social media ads or solicitation by social media friends.

Adult consumers cannot unilaterally rescind a contract. Remember to do the following when using social media.

(1) Carefully read social media ads

Never blindly accept big discounts, much-touted effects and messages like "Easy to make money" and "No loss of money." If you buy something online or by mail order, you cannot exercise the cooling-off right. Carefully read terms and conditions beforehand.

(2) Make a careful judgment whether your social media friend is really trustworthy

Social media terms of use often state "We assume no responsibility for any trouble caused by social media." Even if you have a good connection with someone on social media, it is unknown whether your social media friend is really trustworthy. You may lose contact with the online friend immediately after you pay money. In that case, it may be difficult to demand a refund. Make a careful judgment whether your social media friend is really trustworthy.

(3) Never post your personal information on social media

• If you post your personal information (e.g. student identification card, driver's license, health insurance card) on social media, it's difficult to get things back to what they were and it may lead to a bigger problem. Never post your personal information on social media.
• Once information has spread through social media, it's difficult to delete it. Do not easily share your personal information including your photos and messages which tell your location and identity.

Junior and senior high school students have also got in trouble on social media. Talk with your family and discuss family rules for social media. Use parental control¹ and filtering² options as appropriate.

1. ¹ Parental control is a system of supervising and controlling the activities of children on a particular smart device such as a smartphone, a tablet or a game console.
2. ² Filtering blocks access to websites that might be dangerous or inappropriate.

Reference:

• "Advice for young consumers No.6: Consumer problems caused by social media: Carefully read ads! Make a careful judgment whether your social media friend is really trustworthy" released by NCAC on November 4, 2021(Japanese version)