Others quickly inferred the items were intended to be used for ninshin sagi - the Japanese term for the practice of pregnancy extortion, according to Vice.
Several listings gave the option to customise the ultrasound dates, according to a News on Japan translation of local publication FNN.
An attorney at Hashimoto Sogo Law Office, Matsukama, told FNN he had “heard of consultations of this kind”.
“If someone falsely claims to be pregnant and receives money for expenses such as an abortion that never actually arose, it would constitute the crime of fraud under the Penal Code.”
Mercari responded to local inquiries by confirming they “periodically review our list of prohibited items so that everyone can use the service with peace of mind”.
Arizona woman Laura Owens was charged with felony fraud earlier this year after pretending she was pregnant to a star of the Bachelor, the Arizona Republic reported.
Owens showed Clayton Echard fake ultrasounds and pregnancy tests to corroborate her story, even going so far as to fabricate a pregnancy video.
The lies were uncovered when the 34-year-old filed a paternity suit for child support against the former Bachelor.
Though Owens claimed she had a miscarriage and withdrew the case, the inconsistency of her story had already raised investigators suspicions about the supposed pregnancy.
