A campaign against fraud has resulted in police breaking up 633 alleged scammer organizations and identifying 3,992 suspects, the National Police Agency (NPA) told a news conference at the NPA headquarters in Taipei yesterday.
The agency carried out a series of operations targeting lending and money laundering activities using cryptocurrency, Anti-Fraud Command Center head Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said.
The operations took place from Jan. 8 to 17, officials said.
Photo: CNA
Financial Security Commission officials and Taiwan Virtual Asset Service Provider Association representatives also attended the news conference to announce the launch of a public-private task force to fight crypto-based fraud.
The enforcement operations led to the confiscation of alleged criminal proceeds valued at more than NT$971.43 million (US$29.6 million), disbanded 271 money lending organizations, with 340 suspects identified from the organizations, Ma said.
Police uncovered 125 instances of alleged money laundering involving cryptocurrency, with 143 suspects to be prosecuted, he said.
A well-educated public that is aware of the risks posed by scammers, and cooperation between public and private-sector actors are crucial to counter fraud, a criminal activity characterized by constant innovation, Ma said.
Separately, Criminal Investigation Bureau 4th Investigation Corps Commander Tseng Shun-kuang (曾順光) said that his unit last year cracked down on scammers who allegedly defrauded 20 people of a combined NT$100 million.
The group, whose members included financing companies, scriveners and an unregistered lender, conspired to scam people with fake investment schemes before taking out mortgages on the properties of those it targeted, Tseng said.
Police questioned 17 suspects and found sufficient material to recommend that the Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office charge them with aggravated fraud, money laundering and racketeering, he said.
CIB International Criminal Affairs Division Chief Lee Kun-ta (李昆達) said that a review of records and data helped police identify a suspected money laundering operation in Taoyuan that worked for Chinese scammers.
The main suspect in the case allegedly created an online shopping platform to trick Chinese into giving away their personal financial information, he said.
The accounts of targets were drained and used to buy tether, a cryptocurrency, which was used to conduct nominal transactions to hide illegal profits from gambling and other schemes, Lee said.
This money-laundering group processed about 100 million yuan (US$13,77 million), he said.
In January, a task force raided facilities and residences connected to the case, and recommended that the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office indict six people on charges linked to the scheme, he said.
The investigation is ongoing, as police believe the suspects worked for a higher authority in one or more organized crime groups, Lee said.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
RSS