Japan slams mobile porn scam

The Japanese government has moved to outlaw a mobile phone scam which was fooling consumers into dialling extortionately priced premium rate numbers.

The scam involves the use of computers to dial as many as 3,000 mobile handsets per minute - only to hang up after just one ring. The conmen are then just relying on a small percentage of curious phone users, who see they have a missed call, to ring the number on their phone. By doing so they are connected to a service which plays them obscene messages - for which they are billed Y20,000 (£100).

The conmen are also confident that enough people will just stump up the cash and not dispute the charge, as they do not want to suffer the indignity of having to dispute a charge to a premium rate sex line, according to a report on the BBC.

Despite the obvious fraud being committed the Japanese government was only moved to intervene when the sheer volume of these one ring calls twice brought down Osaka's phone services.

Anybody now caught perpetrating such a scam faces up to a year in prison or a fine of Y1m (£5,000).