詐欺

• Reading: さぎ
• Romaji: sagi
• Kanji breakdown: 詐 (sa) — deceive, pretend; 欺 (gi) — cheat, deceive
• Pronunciation: /sa.ɡi/

Meaning

Fraud; swindle; scam; deception. The deliberate use of deceit to obtain money, property, or benefit from another person.

Defined as a crime under Japan's Penal Code (刑法246条). Notable contemporary forms include 振り込め詐欺 (furikome sagi, bank transfer fraud targeting the elderly) and 特殊詐欺 (tokushu sagi, sophisticated organised fraud schemes). 詐欺師 (sagishi) means a con artist or fraudster. The term covers a wide spectrum from petty scams to large-scale organised crime operations.

Examples

1. 息子を装った電話で老人から現金をだまし取る振り込め詐欺が急増している。 Bank transfer fraud, in which elderly people are tricked out of cash by callers posing as their sons, is on a sharp rise.
2. 詐欺に遭ったと気づいたときには、すでに多額の金が海外に送金されていた。 By the time the victim realised they had been defrauded, a large sum had already been transferred abroad.
3. ネットオークションを悪用した詐欺事件で、容疑者が複数逮捕された。 Several suspects were arrested in connection with a fraud case exploiting online auctions.

Usage Guide

Context: crime, law, consumer protection, journalism

Tone: negative

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound of 詐 (sa, deceive, pretend) and 欺 (gi, deceive, cheat). Both characters independently carry the meaning of deception, making this a doubly emphatic term for fraudulent behaviour.

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal