After making a number of arrests related to hijack scams, Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) has posted warnings for internet users and website administrators on its Cybercrime Project home page and twitter accounts.  The scams snare people by installing mining software on the computers of unsuspecting website visitors, which then parasites the computer’s processing power to mine crypto and forward it to the scammer’s wallets.
The NPA carried out a number of ‘cyber patrols’ which confirmed several websites had been installing cryptocurrency mining tools on the computers of site visitors without their knowledge. The NPA say the patrols identified 16 people which it suspected of installing malware on other’s computers. The 16 suspects, aged from 18 to 48, included students, company employees, and the self-employed. Three people were arrested, the NPA says, and Japanese prosecutors are preparing cases against the others.
Prior to this, nobody had been arrested for crimes related to cryptocurrency mining in Japan, and this is the first instance of a crackdown on ‘hijack mining’ which is conducted without notifying or confirming consent from website visitors.
Under these circumstances, the NPA is calling attention to the mining issue on its website, warning site admins that mining tools installed without explicit notice to website visitors may be in violation of the law.
In addition, the NPA encouraged vigilance on the part of visitors to websites, alerting potential victims to look out for the telltale signs of illicit mining tools making their computers run slower, and to refrain from accessing websites again if their computer’s anti-virus software detected a cryptocurrency mining tool.
With cryptocurrency becoming popular in Japan, an increase in related crimes is inevitable. However, a key focal point in the debate in Japan revolves around what countermeasures should be undertaken to protect ordinary internet users from such crimes.
Criticism has Ripple (available on Binance)d among Japanese netizens on the NPA’s warning about mining tools, with some taking the position that websites that display advertisements without asking for visitor consent should also be against the law, and asking the NPA to clarify a “line of demarcation” on what actions are considered a crime.
About the author 
Masayuki Tashiro is the President & CEO of FISCO Digital Asset Group. He has worked as an analyst providing assessments on futures, options, cash equity, and overall market and index movement since 2010 and currently works as an analyst with a focus on cryptocurrencies. He holds a Master of Financial Technical Analysis and is a regular commentator on the Nikkei CNBC television channel, and a frequent contributor to economic magazines such as Forbes Japan.