Japanese Govt to Require Confirmation of Identity of Buyers of Data-Only SIM Cards, Seeks Cut Down on Fraud Committed through Social Media

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:32 JST, January 31, 2026

The government has decided to require mobile phone service carriers to confirm the identities of purchasers who sign up for data-only SIM cards, in an effort to prevent social media-based fraud.

The carriers are currently required to confirm the identities of customers who sign up for mobile phones capable of making voice calls, collecting documents such as driver’s licenses. However, that requirement does not apply to purchases of data-only SIM cards, which are usually used in tablets and similar devices.

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry has revealed that it aims to submit a bill to amend the relevant law to the Diet by the end of this year. The revision is also expected to enable the carriers to refuse to form contracts that provide an unusually large number of lines to a single person or corporation, aiming to prevent the purchasers from improperly reselling the lines to other parties who may use them to commit crimes.

Data-only SIM cards are often used to scam victims out of money under the guise of investment or romance. The victim’s trust is gained through repeated communication on social media without a face-to-face meeting taking place. According to research by the National Police Agency, data-only SIM cards were behind 75% of the internet connections used in these types of scams discovered between April and September 2024.

The ministry also aims to strengthen identity confirmation because a large number of such scams were committed using highly secure and confidential messaging apps.

The revision to the law will also enable phone carriers to refuse a request for multiple lines if the request is determined to be excessive and without reasonable justification.

According to the ministry, major carriers have a self-imposed rule that in principle an individual is not allowed to sign up for more than five lines. However, there are no legal restrictions.

The ministry aims to restrict contracts that provide large numbers of lines, as there have been cases in which lines under such contracts were sold to criminal organizations who used them in scams. In addition, even if a corporation requests a contract with multiple lines, carriers will need to confirm whether the person in charge of the contract is employed by the corporation.