Published: 2025/8/9 12:31 PM Updated: 2025/8/9 3:01 PM
Lin Jiansheng and Peng Huanqun / Local Report
A woman in Taichung met a wealthy, handsome man on an online social network. The man pretended to have a gift for her, but demanded NT$100,000 in shipping fees before it could be sent. When she went to the post office to transfer the money, the bank clerk spotted her and realized it was a scam. Separately, an elderly man recently received a call claiming to be from Yilan Veterans General Hospital, claiming his personal information had been compromised and demanding cash for a second time. He was also apprehended by ambushing police.
A woman went to a post office counter and attempted to wire NT$100,000 in cash, claiming she wanted to collect the shipping fee for a package. The bank clerk noticed something was amiss and immediately notified the police.
The police asked, “Where did you see the message about the gift package? On Facebook? Or somewhere else?”
The woman’s evasiveness led police to question her and review her phone chat records, revealing that she had met a man through the online social network TikTok. He showed her constant concern and made her feel loved. The victim then claimed to have a gift, but would only deliver it after paying a high shipping fee. Fortunately, the scam was stopped by the police in time.
Chen Zhaoyuan, deputy chief of the Longdong Police Station at the Wuri Branch of the Taichung City Public Security Bureau, explained, “The man claimed to be offering a love gift as a token of loyalty, but demanded NT$100,000 in shipping fees. After reviewing the conversation, the police confirmed the woman had been scammed.”
An 80-year-old man also received a call from someone claiming to be from the Yilan Veterans General Hospital, claiming their information had been compromised and misused. The call was relayed to a fake prosecutor or police officer, who then demanded the man’s property be taken care of. After initially handing over cash, the man noticed something was amiss and notified the police to help with the arrest.
Huang Bingjun, chief of the Wenchang Branch of the Taichung City Fifth Branch, stated, “Under the pretext of a criminal case requiring property custody, the man was asked to hand over NT$1.3 million in cash. He then noticed something was amiss and immediately reported the case to our branch.”
According to the anti-fraud dashboard, over 16,000 fraud cases were filed last month, resulting in losses exceeding NT$8.54 billion. The methods used included online shopping scams, fake investment scams, investment fraud, and marriage scams. Scholars say that criminal tactics often involve gaining trust first and then gradually luring people into a scam.
LIN,SHU-LI , Assistant Professor of the Department of Criminal Justice at Ming Chuan University, pointed out, “The syndicate doesn’t start by negotiating money. They first slant their way into your group, gain your trust, and then tell you, ‘Strange, how did you find out I’m doing so well? It’s because I made a successful investment.’ Then, step by step, they lead you into the trap.”
Scholars say that most of these victims aren’t greedy from the outset, but the syndicates exploit the victims’ personal information leaks or their trust before committing fraud. The public needs to remain vigilant.