Osaka bans elderly ATM use during calls to combat scams

Osaka will be the first Japanese region to ban people aged 65 and older from using ATMs while on mobile phones, aiming to curb a surge in phone-based scams that disproportionately target the elderly. This new rule, effective from August, requires banks and businesses to raise awareness through posters and fliers but does not include penalties for non-compliance. Authorities hope the measure will help combat organized fraud schemes, which resulted in record losses of over 72 billion yen last year, with nearly half of the victims aged 75 or older. The ordinance also encourages the use of AI technology to detect phone use at ATMs and mandates additional fraud prevention steps by financial institutions. Nationwide, there are discussions about introducing uniform limits on daily ATM withdrawals and transfers for older adults to further protect against fraud, though concerns remain about the impact on customer convenience. Other regions in Japan are implementing complementary measures such as fraud-prevention workshops and call-blocking devices.