If a recorded voice says your phone will stop working in two hours
A scene based on a published type It is the evening. A call comes in with no caller ID. When you answer, a recorded voice plays. What will you do?
The type this scene is based on Calls using a recorded voice (a type described on the National Police Agency's fake-police fraud page)
What came up in this call
- A recorded voice saying your phone will stop working.
- Telling you to press a number.
What public agencies write (original Japanese, with a translation by AI)
- 「「２時間後からこの電話は使えなくなる」「使用する場合は１番を押してください」などの自動音声ガイダンスを利用した被害が発生しています。」
There have been cases of harm using automated voice guidance such as "This phone will stop working in two hours" and "To keep using it, press 1".
National Police Agency (Japan) - 「番号非通知の着信を拒否」
Reject incoming calls with no caller ID.
National Police Agency (Japan) - 「留守番電話機能を活用、録音メッセージで相手がわかってからかけ直す」
Use voicemail, and call back after the recorded message tells you who called.
National Police Agency (Japan)
This page does not judge whether a real call is a scam. The scene is fiction written by AI, based on a type that public agencies have published. This page was not made, checked or approved by the National Police Agency or any other public agency.
Related items from "Checks before you answer"
Do not rush to answer calls from unknown numbers, calls with no caller ID, or numbers starting with "+". Let voicemail take them, and call back once you know who it was.
「留守番電話機能を活用、録音メッセージで相手がわかってからかけ直す」 National Police Agency (Japan)
「国際電話番号（＋から始まる電話番号）や見知らぬ電話番号からの着信は「無視」しましょう。」 National Police Agency (Japan)
The National Police Agency's pages describe landline services that show the caller's number or answer calls with no caller ID with a recorded message. They also explain how people who do not use international calls can apply to suspend them.
「特殊詐欺の被害にあわないためには、「犯人と話さないこと」が一番効果的です。」 National Police Agency (Japan)
「普段、海外に住む方と固定電話で通話をすることがない方は、国際電話の利用休止をお申込みいただけます。」 National Police Agency (Japan)
Public consultation lines in Japan, for when you are unsure or in trouble.
「警察相談専用電話「＃9110」番」 Government Public Relations Online (Cabinet Office, Japan)
「「消費者ホットライン」188」 Consumer Affairs Agency (Japan)
In an emergency in Japan, call 110. You cannot report or consult through this page.
The caller's first line (fiction; one line only)
Caller (recorded voice)（No caller ID）: This is a telecommunications service desk. This phone will stop working in two hours.
Examples of the AI's replies
The AI's reply (a line written in advance)
- This is an automated AI assistant answering on behalf of the person you called. Please tell me your name and the reason for your call.
- I do not press any numbers on this line. Since I cannot confirm the reason for this call, I am ending it now. The person will look up their own provider's support desk and check for themselves.
The "AI" on this page only shows lines that were written in advance. It is not an AI thinking and answering each time you press a button. Nor does it show that an AI would reply this way on a real call.
Sources (in Japanese)
See this scene with voices All scenes Checks before you answer