The new Japanese get-rich-quick trick.

Here's a good way to extort money for trusting old folk. All it requires is a telephone, like this pretty red one. Scam artist: "Hey grandma, it's me." Old person: "Oh, it's you, estranged granddaughter! What's up?" Scam artist: "I lost my job, got hit by a car, and my husband left me. Think you can send me some money?" Old person: "Of course, dear. Now what was your address again?" Obviously, Scam artist is not Old person's grandkid. But with descendants often out of touch for years at a time and with sending money being a common way of the Japanese to show love, this method has proven pretty effective, extracting an estimated 2.3 billion yen from innocent believers in 2003. Earlier today, the first "it's me, send me money" Scam artist was arrested--a 27 year old Hokkaido woman who scored 830,000 yen from another woman convinced that she was her younger sister. Here are some tips on how to avoid being a victim of the "it's me" scam: 1. Ask them questions only that person would know answers to. 2. Use Skype video. 3. Don't believe anyone who says, "It's meeee, Mario!" Chances are, it's not Mario. 4. Send me money instead. I won't pretend to be anyone I'm not.