All the soldiers involved in a scheme by a club operator who told them they could receive training to become club hosts or male prostitutes for a small “down payment” will be disciplined, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
Kaohsiung police said late last month they had busted a fraud ring that deceived more than 1,000 men by claiming it would train them to become well-paid club hosts or male prostitutes for a training fee.
During the investigation, Kaohsiung police discovered that about 60 of the victims were members of the military and informed the ministry of the matter.
Ministry spokesman Major General Yu Sy-tue (虞思祖) said an internal investigation revealed that more than 40 soldiers were cheated out of money, while 20 had provided their personal information to the fraud ring, but did not make any payments.
The men involved in the scandal were mostly volunteer soldiers, Yu said, adding that the highest--ranking was a captain.
The personnel were army, combined logistics commands and marine officers, Yu said.
Military personnel will now be taught how to avoid scams when looking for a job, he said.
The fraud ring in question was Paris Entertainment Co, which allegedly told interviewees they could earn a minimum of NT$70,000 per month as club hosts.
After paying a NT$200,000 fee, the men received a short period of training before being informed they did not qualify and that the money was non-refundable.
Police said some individuals paid more money to be allowed to continue training and a few — including soldiers — lost as much as NT$600,000 in total.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS