Many people have been surprised after finding that most mobile service providers charge a fee for calling the 165 anti-fraud hotline, with some saying they consider the fee fraudulent in itself.
People can call the 165 anti-fraud hotline from their cellphone or land line to report suspected fraudulent phone calls to the police. The central government launched a massive campaign to advertise the hotline.
However, what most people don’t know is that they may be charged a fee of around NT$3 per minute when they dial the 165 hotline if they make the call from their cellphones.
“I thought it would be free because it’s a service provided by the government to the people, and we already pay taxes to the government,” said Chien Ling-yuan (簡玲媛), a company manager. “It’s the government’s job to protect us from crimes. Why should we pay extra money when we report a case to the police?”
“Charging the fee is like a government-endorsed fraud,” she added.
Another woman living in Taipei County, Chu Ya-yu (朱雅玉) expressed a similar view.
Chu said that though she wasn’t sure if the 165 hotline is toll-free, she would naturally think that all government service hotlines are toll-free unless otherwise stated.
“The government repeatedly advertises the hotline, but never told us there’s a charge — isn’t this a fraud and an attempt to benefit mobile service providers?” she said.
Meanwhile, a 28-year-old man living in Taipei City, Yeh Yun-yin (葉雲印), also thought that the 165 hotline should be completely free of charge, because “when we report a case to the police, we’re doing our part to prevent others from becoming victims.”
Although Chunghwa Telecom is the only mobile service provider that does not charge for calls to the 165 hotline, its spokesman Shih Mu-piao (石木標) told the Taipei Times that most mobile service providers charge callers because 165 calls also take up network resources.
“From a business point of view, you can’t really say it’s wrong for businesses to charge the users,” Shih said.
He said some numbers such as the 110 police hotline and the 119 fire department hotline are toll-free because all mobile service providers agreed that they should not charge for life-saving hotlines.
Shih said Chunghwa Telecom makes 165 toll-free because the company considers it a way to fulfill its corporate social responsibility.
“Some other numbers, like Taipei and Kaohsiung City Governments’ 1999 service number, are toll-free because the city governments pay for them,” he said. “It looks like the only way to make the 165 hotline completely free of charge is to have the government pay for it.”
Asked about the charge, Criminal Investigation Bureau director-general Frank Chiu (邱豐光) said the National Police Agency had no plan to extend its budgets to cover the 165 hotline phone calls, but it is trying to negotiate with other mobile service providers to make the hotline toll-free for everyone.
“I’d say the negotiation is not easy, but we’re trying,” he said.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
RSS