Thousands of people across Taiwan are being sent telephone bills demanding they pay for calls the recipients did not make, a legislator revealed yesterday.
At a press conference held by People First Party Legislator Chen Chao-jung (
Chen said that one victim had received a total of 10 phone bills from different telecom companies between April and July. "I was charged up to NT$28,000 in one of the bills," said the victim, identified only by his surname of Liao.
Fortunately, Liao was not made to pay after checking with the telecom companies.
As the procedure to apply for a mobile phone number becomes simpler, the use of phony IDs appears to be on the increase.
According to statistics from the Directorate General of Tele-communications (DGT), the IDs of 8,820 people were pirated in 1999 and used to charge up to NT$96.37 million in phone calls.
Between January and July this year, the number of victims ex-ceeded 10,200 people, and charges have accumulated to NT$72.45 million, statistics show.
A man working for a mobile phone retailer, who was identified only his surname of Wu, confirmed that there were syndicates that cooperated with retailers to profit by selling numbers applied for using pirated identifications.
Wu said while the syndicates would provide the retailers with photocopied identification cards, the retailers would help to apply for mobile phone numbers with various telecom companies.
The numbers, of course, will not get cut off until the victims notify the telecom company.
Wu said some illegal retailers would even guarantee that their numbers last up to three months.
Huang Wan-fa (
Huang said telecom companies should examine an applicant's ID carefully to prevent the misuse of identification by criminals.
Robert Hwang (
Telecom companies that fail to do so can face fines of up to NT$3 million, Hwang said.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS