Unknown FX "Trade" Wipes Out ¥1.19 Million in an Instant… Despite Trust in GMO, "Is This Real?"

What happened

Some people who trade foreign currency (FX) online lost money in one night. The accounts were run through GMO Internet's automated FX trading service. A woman in Osaka lost about 1.19 million yen in a single trade that she did not make. A man in Saitama also lost about 550,000 yen. Both said they were sure someone had hacked their accounts. Later, some customers received an email from a group calling itself a 'hacking team.' The email said customer data would be released if GMO did not reply.

Key facts

• The Osaka woman's balance fell from about 3 million yen to about 1.2 million yen in one day.
• Her total losses, including automatic sell-offs, reached about 1.78 million yen.
• The trade that caused her loss happened at 12:40 a.m. on October 22.
• The Saitama man lost about 550,000 yen. He received a threat email on October 24.
• GMO said on October 24 that it would compensate users for their losses.

Why people were worried

Many users chose this service because GMO is a well-known company and they felt safe with it. Some had used it for about 8 to 10 years, saving for their future and their children's school costs. Before this, they had turned on extra login protection, such as fingerprint or face checks, but they say this was not enough.

Why it matters

This case shows that hackers can now reach people's own savings, not just company systems. It also shows how much personal data could be exposed if the threat is carried out. Experts say it is very unusual for hackers to harm customers and also send a public threat to pressure a company.

What to watch

• Whether GMO finds out how the hackers got in and how much data was taken.
• Whether GMO pays compensation to all affected users, and how quickly.
• Whether the hacker group publishes customer data as it has threatened.
• Whether the government or regulators take action on this case.
• Experts warn people not to open the hacker group's website, because it may reveal their device's IP address (their internet address).