Threads Japan Guesthouse Scam Posts Trigger Travel Warning
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A new suspected scam targeting travellers booking Japanese guesthouses has surfaced on Threads, where posts advertise attractive stays in Tokyo with low prices and easy station access before steering users to fake payment pages. A Taiwan-based user, identified as Ms Wong, said she uncovered the scheme while planning a trip to Tokyo next year and later warned others after finding many similar posts on the platform
Key Points
- Ms Wong said she saw a Threads post promoting a guesthouse in Ueno for TWD2,800 a night, about HK$688, claiming it was three minutes from Ueno Station
- The post had received more than 1,000 likes and shares, and included tidy room photos that made the listing appear credible at first glance
- After contacting a supposed property manager through a LINE account left in the comments, she was sent a booking link closely resembling the Japanese platform Ikyu
- She became suspicious when screenshots used to explain how to obtain a discount code contained simplified Chinese, and she was blocked after questioning the post publicly
- Ms Wong later found the genuine site used the address “ikyu.com/zh-tw”, while the fake page she received used “ikyu.com.tw”, then urged travellers to book through normal platforms
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong travellers, Japan remains a popular destination and private accommodation is often chosen for lower prices and a more local experience, making this type of scam especially easy to overlook. The case shows how social media recommendations, direct messaging and lookalike web addresses can be combined to imitate trusted booking channels and pressure users into paying outside established platforms