Fraudsters employing tried and tested ruses continue to find new victims.
Chinese-language media have reported a case in which a National Chiao Tung University professor was defrauded of NT$3.18 million (US$103,270).
The professor, renowned in his field, received a call from a fraud ring in September last year, the reports said.
The caller, posing as a prosecutor, told the professor that his bank accounts had been compromised by a criminal organization for money laundering purposes, and he was asked to withdraw cash from his accounts and place it under the management of the prosecutors’ office, the reports said.
The professor followed the instructions and withdrew NT$1.5 million from his accounts and physically handed over the cash to a fraudster posing as a prosecutor in Hsinchu, the reports said.
The fraudster produced a faked document to win the trust of the professor, who twice more handed money over, the reports said.
The professor only started to suspect he had been duped after discussing the matter with relatives.
A police spokesperson said that fraud rings target the shortcomings of intellectuals — who often lack social experience — invariably telling them it is “essential to maintain confidentiality” that they “inform no third party for the duration of the investigation.”
Of the reported 20,000 victims of telecom fraud last year, 9,712 had bachelor’s degrees, while 853 had master’s degrees or doctorates, Criminal Investigation Bureau data show.
Police said those with advanced degrees are often focused on their area of specialty to the exclusion of the outside world.
Such people also have strong egos and tend to believe that “anti-fraud” campaigns publicized by the police do not apply to them.
Well-known intellectuals who have been duped include former minister of economic affairs Yiin Chii-ming (尹啟銘), who withdrew NT$1.2 million in May 2013 after he received a call from someone claiming to have kidnapped his son.
In March 2013, Academia Sinica vice president Liu Tsui-jung (劉翠溶) lost NT$20 million to a fraudster who posed as a prosecutor.
Many military personnel, government officials, engineers and researchers have all been duped, because their working environment tends to be quite insular, making them less vigilant about being defrauded, police said, adding that academics often refuse to believe that they have been cheated.
Such people often do not admit having fallen prey to fraudsters because “they are used to teaching others and cannot bring themselves to admit they need guidance,” a police officer said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS