Not sure if this is a scam or I am hyper sensitive.
I was with my friend at the running man in dotonbori trying to take the classic pose picture and these 2 young Japanese dudes came up.
They then asked us to take a picture of them. So I did. They didn’t seem enthusiastic and a bit awkward but I don’t know if that’s just how Japanese youths are. I asked them ‘osaka Jin desuka?’ and one of them said yes awkwardly which raised some alarm bells. Because why would Osaka locals want a picture at the running man?
They then asked for my phone to take a picture of me and my friend doing the pose together but it didn’t feel right so we just walked away.
I have heard of the dropping phone scam but I am not sure if this is also a scam of them running away with my phone.
5 comments
It just sounds like they were being friendly to me. Japan is really safe and scams and robbery are extremely rare compared to most other countries. It’s not bad to take precautions though.
Follow your gut instinct
Honestly, there are so many people near running man, it would be incredibly stupid to try to steal something from someone.
Though this would be a new one. I was told by the local shop owner to wrap my bag around the arm chair since bag snatch was a thing and we were sitting outside, but I think that was more precaution than anything else. (Then again I mentioned Osaka was kind of shady and got ripped and name called so,… what do I know? Lol)
Is it possible? Sure, sounds like it for sure. If you had a newer phone that would have caught attention. Likely? I can’t say. Is Japan still extremely safe? For sure.
But you did the right thing nonetheless; you listened to your gut and walked away. Better safe and feeling silly than losing your phone right?
(But my guess is if you’re two chicks and it was two dudes that approached you, maybe they were just hitting on you. Sounds like a way to start a conversation.)
There are scams where someone asks to borrow your phone and then uses your Venmo to steal money.
Asking someone if they’re “Osaka-jin” could be interpreted as asking if they live in Osaka prefecture. Maybe they live far outside the city? Maybe they are home for the holidays but don’t live in Osaka anymore? There’s a lot of reasonable explanations for wanting a picture with friends, even at touristy spots. Tokyo locals dress up and take photos at Asakusa all the time, for example.
You didn’t have to offer your phone up, but I haven’t heard of this particular scam being run by Japanese people. And, as people said, someone would be stupid to try this in such a crowded tourist area swarming with cops.