〜Strengthening Fraud Monitoring With AI, Establishing the Mercari Appraisal Center, and Introducing a Full Coverage Support Program to Thoroughly Eliminate Fraudulent Users and Provide Thorough Aid for Users〜
Mercari, Inc. (“Mercari”) announces that it has published its new policy to realize a safe and secure marketplace on May 21, 2025, including three new initiatives that aim to thoroughly eliminate fraudulent users and provide thorough aid for users.
Under these new policies, Mercari will take a more active role in addressing issues that are difficult for users to resolve on their own. We will not only take preventative measures against fraudulent usage but work to thoroughly eliminate fraudulent users. For those using our services properly, we will offer thorough aid through full compensation in the rare event of a transaction dispute.
Our efforts to eliminate fraudulent users will specifically include leveraging AI to strengthen fraud monitoring and establishing the Mercari Authentication Center, which will help eradicate fraudulent users, identify and eliminate potential risks, and create a crime-free environment.
To provide thorough aid for users, we will launch a full coverage support program, offering support to victims of fraud to ensure that legitimate users never face disadvantages and that transaction disputes are resolved swiftly.
Background behind enhancing initiatives for safety and security
Mercari has long implemented preventative measures against transaction disputes and worked to ensure users do not suffer losses in the event of a dispute through ways such as thorough identity verification (simple identity verification via the Mercari app, identity verification for high-value transactions), account monitoring, the introduction of passkeys, and more.
To address transaction disputes that are difficult to resolve among users, in November 2024 Mercari announced a major reinforcement to its support system and compensation policies, as well as stronger measures against fraudulent users.1 Since the announcement, Mercari has held continued discussions on the ideal state of a safe and secure marketplace and the specific measures needed to achieve it.
Meanwhile, fraud crimes in Japan have been on the rise for three consecutive years. In 2024, damages totaled approximately 307.5 billion JPY, with 57,324 reported cases—nearly double the 30,468 cases reported in 2020—demonstrating the growing threat of fraud throughout society. 2
Against this backdrop, Mercari recognizes its heightened social responsibility as the operator of an app used by 23 million users per month, and we have resolved to further strengthen countermeasures to provide a safe and secure environment for our users.
1：Mercari Strengthens Systems for Safety and Security and Launches New Compensation Policy (November 2024)
https://about.mercari.com/press/news/articles/20241125_mercari/(Japanese only)
2：Crime Situation in 2024 (Commissioner-General’s Secretariat, National Police Agency)
https://www.npa.go.jp/publications/statistics/kikakubunseki/r6_jyosei.pdf(Japanese only)
Mercari’s new plan of action for a safe and secure marketplace
As part of our new policy for realizing a safe and secure marketplace, we will carry out the following initiatives to thoroughly eliminate fraudulent users and provide thorough aid to users.
Thorough elimination of fraudulent users
In addition to continuing preventative measures against fraud, we will thoroughly eliminate fraudulent users.
・Leveraging AI to strengthen fraud monitoring
With the diversification and increased sophistication of fraud techniques, we will train AI to identify suspicious behaviors, assign fraud risk scores, and detect fraudulent users. We will strengthen actions against fraudulent users, pursuing accountability through account usage restrictions, criminal action, civil litigation, and other methods (claims for damages, claims for unjust enrichment, etc.).
・Establishing the Mercari Authentication Center
To thoroughly eradicate listings of counterfeit brand-name items within Mercari, we will establish the Mercari Appraisal Center. We plan to expand the range of items eligible for authentication and are also considering the purchase of items in cases of authentication deficiencies and mandatory authentication for eligible items (after launch). (Scheduled to launch in September 2025.)
Thorough aid for users
In the event of a transaction dispute, we will provide swift support and thorough aid to legitimate users.
・Launching a full coverage support program
In the event of a transaction dispute, we will explicitly offer full compensation for the purchase price or sales profits of the transaction, providing thorough support and swift resolution to relieve concern. We will publish guidelines for receiving compensation and ensure quick processing from incident to compensation, promptly providing users with peace of mind. (Scheduled to start in July 2025.)
Future outlook
Moving forward, Mercari will continue its initiatives to thoroughly eliminate fraudulent users and provide thorough aid to users. We will also regularly publish a Transparency Report visualizing fraud trends within Mercari and the quantitative results of our various initiatives, and strengthen our collaboration with external organizations. (Scheduled to be published in August 2025.)
In line with our Group mission to “circulate all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people,” Mercari will work toward creating a safe and secure usage environment in which legitimate users never face disadvantages and a society in which more people can do what they enjoy and achieve their dreams.