FY2017 Summary of Consumer Affairs Inquiries received through PIO-NET

This summary reflects consumer affairs inquiries collected by PIO-NET^* in FY2017. Based on the data registered in PIO-NET through the end of May 2018, NCAC has analyzed trends of consumer affairs inquiries in FY2017.

Details of the information will be described on the "Annual Report on Consumer Affairs 2018", which will be released on NCAC's website in October 2018.

1. ^* PIO-NET is a database that collects information on inquiries concerning consumer affairs by linking NCAC with local consumer affairs centers and similar organizations across Japan via an online network.

Trends and characteristics of FY2017 consumer affairs inquiries identified through PIO-NET

• The total number of inquiries in FY2017 was about 937,000. It showed an increase from about 891,000 in FY2016. This result was due to an increase in inquiries related to "fictitious billing".
• The number of inquiries related to "fictitious billing", including charges for using websites that consumers do not recollect using, was about 199,000 in FY2017, which showed a large increase from about 83,000 in FY2016.
• The breakdown of inquiries by age group of contract signatories showed that the percentage of contract signatories in their 70s or older was the highest, hanging around 20% since FY2013. The percentage of contract signatories in their 50s and 60s has been on the increase in recent years. The percentage of other age groups under 40 has decreased.
• Inquiries related to "cosmetics" and "health foods" have kept increased since FY2016. This result was due to a continued increase in inquiries related to regular purchase of these products.
• There was an increase in inquiries related to "fund-type investment products" and "other financial service". There were inquiries about businesses which raised funds from numerous elderly people and were subjected to the bankruptcy proceedings, and those about problematic investment schemes related to cryptocurrencies.
• There has been an increase in inquiries related to "land" due to an increase in inquiries about secondary detriment to consumers already victims to fraudulent selling of wasteland or detriment to heirs of such wasteland.
• Inquiries related to "mail order service" accounted for about 33.7% of the whole inquiries in FY2017. The breakdown of inquiries by type of sales/purchase showed that mail order service continued to be the top category since FY2013.
• The total and the average of purchased amount and paid-in amount increased since FY2016. The total of purchased amount in FY2017 was 450,100,000,000 yen (average: 1,180,000 yen). The total of paid-in amount in FY2017 was 172,400,000,000 yen (average: 510,000 yen).