Is LostSOS legitimate and safe to use?

LostSOS is a Japan-based lost-item recovery support service for international travelers. A real case handler contacts stations, taxi companies, hotels, police lost-property offices and other facilities in Japanese on your behalf. The default fee is US$99, paid through Stripe or PayPal. We don't guarantee that every item is recovered — but if we can’t find your item, your LostSOS service fee is refunded in full. Here's how to check everything before you pay.

How to verify LostSOS before you pay

You don't have to take our word for it:

Our operator details — legal business name, the person responsible, registered address, phone and email — are published on our Specified Commercial Transactions (特商法) page.
Exactly what the US$99 covers, and what it doesn't, is set out below.
The money-back guarantee is published below and in our Terms.
Payment runs through Stripe or PayPal; LostSOS never sees or stores your full card number.

Who operates LostSOS

LostSOS is a Japan-based business. Our full operator information — legal name, the legally responsible person, registered address, phone and email — is published on our 特商法 page. Your case is handled personally by a real member of our Japan-based team; you'll see their name (for example, Yuki) in your case chat. That person is your day-to-day case handler, which is separate from the legally responsible operator named on the legal page.

How LostSOS is different from lost-and-found scams

Some online "lost & found" intermediaries charge a fee to reveal a result, then ask for handling or shipping money and go quiet. LostSOS works differently:

One service fee (US$99), paid up front — we never charge an extra fee just to reveal whether a match was found, or to tell you which office holds your item.
Claim & Return support is included. Only actual third-party costs, such as courier, shipping, packing, storage, transport, insurance, customs, or required documents, are extra, and we show them to you for approval before they are incurred.
Payment is taken via Stripe on this site only. We will never ask you to pay by cryptocurrency, gift card, or a transfer to an individual's personal account.
You receive a record of the offices contacted, the responses, and the recommended next steps.
Our operator details, contact, and refund conditions are all published before you pay.

What LostSOS cannot guarantee

We can't promise that every item is found or returned. That depends on each facility's records, holding periods, and rules, which are outside our control. What we can stand behind is the work and the refund: we contact the relevant offices in Japanese, document what we find, and if we can’t find your item, you get a full refund of the LostSOS service fee (see below).

Official contact & payment channels

Our only official website is lost-sos.com, and payment is taken through Stripe or PayPal from this site. Support: support@lost-sos.com. If anyone contacts you on another channel claiming to be LostSOS and asks for payment by crypto, gift card, or personal bank transfer, it is not us.

How the refund guarantee works

Full refund if not found.

Your item is “found” when our case work confirms where it is, who's holding it, or an official lost-property record that matches it.

If none of those can be confirmed through our case work, we refund 100% of the LostSOS service fee you paid.

Case work may continue for up to 90 days from payment. If the case closes unfound, we initiate the refund that same day to the original payment method (bank posting can take a few business days).

Some offices may ask you to make the final contact yourself for identity verification or consent. We tell you exactly who to contact and what to say.

The guarantee doesn't apply if your item is found but you don't complete pickup or handover, if you recover it using our lead (which counts as found), or if you don't respond to necessary verification or information requests.

The US$99 service fee includes Claim & Return support after your item is found. Only actual third-party costs, such as courier, shipping, packing, storage, transport, insurance, customs, or required documents, are extra, and we present them for your approval before they are incurred.

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This page is published so you can verify LostSOS before paying. For operator details and full terms, see our 特商法 and Terms pages.