A few years ago, the media was filled with reports about people falling victim to ingenious swindling operations called "furikome sagi," an umbrella term describing schemes that fool victims into sending money to con men via bank transfers. Because of the publicity, the frequency of such incidents has declined.
But the problem hasn't gone away; criminal groups have just become more inventive. Some of these new methods are investigated in the two-hour special "Chokugeki! Aku ni Tatakai Idomu — Za Tokumei Kisha (Direct Hit! Fighting Against Evil — The Anonymous Reporters)" (TV Tokyo, Mon., 6:30 p.m.), in which unnamed journalists use hidden cameras to uncover these new swindles, among which are con men posing as Social Insurance Agency employees who exploit people's anxieties over the current pension fiasco; and preying on housewives who want to earn extra money working at home. One of the most valuable tools for swindlers is private data about individuals that is improperly leaked.
C hristmas is a time for family, so it seems fitting that on Dec. 25 TBS takes a look at the Yamada clan of Kiyose, Tokyo. The family has been covered extensively in the past because the five children are quintuplets. Their father died two years ago, and "Gekito Daikazoku Special 07 (Fiercely Fighting Big Family Special 07)" (6:55 p.m.) looks at what the brood is up to now.