Researcher flags fake Japan census "final reminder" email linking to cqpkc.com
@harugasumi posted on X on 3 November 2026 a screenshot of a fake Japanese census “final notice” email sent from a cqpkc.com address. It threatens fines and a home visit and links to cqpkc.com. The poster says no census is being held this year.
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Source: x.com · published
What happened
Miyuki Chikara (@harugasumi) posted on X on 3 November 2026 a screenshot of an email that claims to be a final reminder about the national census in Japan. The post says no census is being held this year and asks what the cybercriminal is thinking, and tells readers to be careful not to be fooled. It is tagged #Phishing and #フィッシング詐欺. The email's link points to cqpkc.com, which is not a Japanese government domain.
How the scam works
The screenshot shows an email dated 3 November 2026 with the subject “[meiwaku][最終催告] 国勢調査 未回答世帯への・最終のお願い”, which means a final request to households that have not answered the census. The sender is shown as 総務省統計局 (the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) with the address no-reply@bids.cqpkc.com. The “[meiwaku]” tag is a spam label added by a mail filter. The text calls itself a final notice from the “Reiwa 7 Census headquarters”, a reference to 2025, and says the household's answer has not been confirmed.
It sets a deadline of 30 November. It threatens that, if no answer is given, a surveyor will visit the home, a fine of up to 500,000 yen under Article 61 of the Statistics Act will be imposed and legal action will begin without further warning. It then tells the reader to answer immediately by clicking a link to cqpkc.com/listing/quyg. The email ends with the genuine-looking address of the Statistics Bureau in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
The pressure of a legal threat and a short deadline is designed to push people to click before checking. The post does not show what the linked page asks for, but links of this kind usually lead to a form that collects personal data or card details. The post does not say who received the email or whether anyone lost money.
Source
@harugasumi on X, post of 3 November 2026 (text and screenshot of the email). Not independently verified by scammers.com.
Red flags
- A census “final notice” sent when the poster says no census is being held this year.
- A sender display name for the Statistics Bureau on the unrelated domain cqpkc.com.
- Threats of a surveyor visit, a fine of up to 500,000 yen and legal action.
- A deadline and an instruction to answer immediately through a link.
- A reference to the Reiwa 7 census, which does not match the current year.
If you were targeted
- 1Do not click the link to cqpkc.com/listing/quyg or reply to the email.
- 2Check the sender's real address, not just the display name, before trusting a message from a ministry.
- 3If you are unsure whether a survey is genuine, contact the Statistics Bureau using details from its official website.
- 4If you clicked and entered details, change your passwords and contact your card company or bank.
- 5Report the email to your mail provider and the Japanese police cybercrime consultation service.