Combined losses from special fraud, romance and social-media based investment scams soared to a record ?324.11 billion ($2.12 billion) in 2025, a significant jump from ?199.1 billion in the year before, according to a report released Thursday by the National Police Agency.

The number of reported cases also reached an all-time high at 42,900, up from 31,280, highlighting what authorities described as a rapidly worsening situation with no sign of abating.

Special frauds, many of which involve anonymous and fluid criminal groups known as ³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨±, are cases in which the perpetrator calls the victim pretending to be a family member or government employee and tricks them into sending money under a false story line.

Damage from special fraud cases alone rose ?69.54 billion from a year earlier to ?141.42 billion, driven largely by a sharp increase in fake police scams. More than 10,000 such cases were reported, accounting for approximately 40% of all special fraud incidents, while losses totaled ?98.54 billion ¡ª roughly 70% of the category¡¯s total.

In such schemes, victims are typically contacted via international phone calls and then directed to video chats on the messaging app Line, where scammers claim the victim¡¯s bank account has been used in a crime and demand that assets be transferred to prove their innocence.

The fraud often results in victims handing over their entire savings, pushing the average loss per case to ?9.1 million, with the victims age ranging from teenagers to those in their 80s or older.

Losses from social media-based investment scams jumped about 40% to ?127.47 billion, with criminals impersonating celebrities and public institutions to solicit funds. Authorities said the surge in cases originated from scammers using YouTube banner advertisements and direct messages on Instagram.

Romance scam losses climbed 37.8% from the previous year to ?55.22 billion, with most victims contacted through dating apps. People in their 40s to 60s accounted for about three-quarters of the total damage amount.

The agency attributed the worsening trend to the growing reliance on smartphones, social media and cashless payments, which has made fraud easier to carry out without face-to-face contact. Transfers using online banking and cryptocurrencies have increased, limiting the ability of bank staff and convenience store clerks to intervene.

Scam tactics are also becoming more advanced, with criminals also using generative AI to produce videos, text messages and automated voice systems, allowing scams to cross language and regional barriers, the agency said.

Police also arrested 12,178 people in 2025 for crimes linked to funding ³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨± groups ¡ª up 2,073 from the previous year ¡ª though most were frontline perpetrators involved in fraud or drug offenses, with few senior figures taken into custody.

To counter the threat, police...