When a 59-year-old deaf-mute man surnamed Hsu had an online encounter with a foreigner who claimed to be a diplomat, he nearly ended up as the victim of a fraud syndicate.
A police investigation revealed that Hsu had got to know a foreign Internet user calling himself “Alvin,” who said that he was a diplomat from a certain country but was not in a position to reveal his identity because he was on a secret mission abroad. He said he had a parcel that he urgently needed to send back to Taiwan, and he hoped Hsu could take delivery of it. Next, someone claiming to represent a courier company sent Hsu a message saying that he would need to pay tax and customs fees to collect the parcel, and asking Hsu to go to a bank to transfer the money.
Without thinking, on Jan. 11 Hsu did as he had been asked by going to Chang Hwa Bank’s Shuangyuan branch in Taipei, where he applied to transfer the sum of NT$30,000. However, the bank staff noticed that something was out of order and reported it to Wanhua Police Precinct’s Yingguang Police Station. Police officers Hsu Li-yuan and Tung Yu-hsuan hurried to the scene, where they determined that Hsu had encountered a fraud syndicate. Using written notes, the police officers told Hsu about some related cases, and only then did he give up the idea of transferring the money.
Photo copied by Wang Kuan-jen, Liberty Times 照片:自由時報王冠仁翻攝
However, the fraud syndicate was not ready to give up, and they used clever talk to persuade Hsu into making another trip to a bank on Jan. 19, this time to the Bank of Taiwan’s Longshan branch, where he applied to make a transfer of NT$84,000. Luckily, the bank staff again noticed that something was amiss and reported it to the police. On receiving the report, Deputy Chief Chen Chin-tien of Kangding Police Station went to the scene, where he used a pen and paper to explain that he was a police officer. He then read through the recorded conversations between Hsu and the other parties, from which he discovered that the fraud syndicate was once again using the same method to trick Hsu.
Wanhua Police Precinct urges the public to remember that if they receive phone calls from an unknown caller they should make detailed enquiries and immediately dial the 165 or 110 hotlines to check, so that they do not fall foul of scammers. The police said that everyone should keep in mind the triple formula of “Don’t rush; don’t be anxious; think carefully” and do a detailed check, because that is the only effective way to avoid becoming a target for scammers’ greed.
(Translated by Julian Clegg, Taipei Times)
Photo: Scamhaters United 照片:Scamhaters United
五十九歲徐姓瘖啞人士,透過網路認識一名聲稱是外交官的外籍網友,結果差一點成為詐騙集團的被害人。
警方調查,徐男透過網路認識一名自稱「阿爾文」的外籍網友,對方說他是某國外交官,因為在海外執行秘密任務、身分不便曝光。「阿爾文」又說他有一份包裹要緊急寄回台灣,希望徐能夠幫忙簽收。隨後又有自稱快遞公司人員傳訊息給徐,聲稱要領包裹必須支付稅金、海關費等,要徐前去銀行匯款。
徐一時不察,一月十一日依對方所說,前往台北市彰化銀行雙園分行要臨櫃匯款三萬元,但行員發現異狀,通報轄區萬華分局莒光所;警員許?元、董羽軒趕到現場,發現徐遇上詐騙集團,隨即用筆談方式告訴他相關案例,他才放棄匯款。
Photo: Military Romance Scams Facebook page 照片:Military Romance Scams臉書
不過,詐騙集團不死心,又用話術對徐「洗腦」,徐又於一月十九日台灣銀行龍山分行要臨櫃匯款八萬四千元;幸虧行員再次發現異狀,通報警方。康定路派出所副所長陳進添獲報前往,以紙筆書寫表示警察身分,且經查看徐與對方的對話紀錄,發現詐騙集團又用相同手法騙徐。
萬華分局呼籲,民眾如接獲不明電話應詳細查詢,請立即撥打165或110專線查證,以免落入詐騙陷阱,並切記三要訣「勿急、勿躁、多思考」!詳加查證,才能有效避免成為歹徒覬覦目標。
(自由時報)
Photographer Franziska Stuenkel likes to take spontaneous urban shots, so she needs a nimble camera that is ready to go when inspiration strikes: her German-made Leica M11. “I have to be very quick and discreet,” said the Berlin-based artist who captures reflections of people walking past windows, their contours merging with the shapes behind the glass. Stuenkel’s compact Leica is the perfect camera for the job, the 51-year-old told AFP. Famous for its pocket-sized and retro-style devices, the Leica brand is celebrating a milestone as it marks 100 years since its first commercial camera was presented to the public. The
Picture a 45-foot-long animal with a 5-foot-long skull and 3-foot-long arms. It may not seem strange until you realize that a human with those proportions would be 6 feet tall with 5-inch arms. Although the Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct 65 million years ago, the mystery of its unusual body __1__ has fascinated scientists for over a century. Barnum Brown, the paleontologist who first discovered T. rex fossils, initially found it hard to believe that the tiny arms belonged to such a __2__ creature. One of his colleagues speculated that the short forelimbs might have been used to hold the
As global travel rebounds following the COVID-19 pa ndemic, the longstanding issue of overtourism has returned stronger than ever. Throughout 2024, numerous popular destinations worldwide struggled with tourist numbers that far exceeded their infrastructural and environmental capacities. Not only does this surge congest streets and pollute landscapes, but it also endangers cultural sites and disrupts the daily lives of residents. In response to the growing problem of “overtourism,” various nations have adopted diverse strategies, some of which have sparked controversy. Venice, Italy, has not hesitated to take bold action; since 2024, the city has implemented one of the
Dogs’ noses are incredibly keen. They can even detect changes in cortisol levels in human sweat and breath. Known as the “stress hormone,” cortisol increases when humans are under pressure. Recent research indicates that the smell of human stress can influence a dog’s behavior and emotions. In the study, human volunteers were exposed to the stressful tasks of preparing and delivering a speech on the spot and then solving math problems. __1__ Researchers collected sweat and breath samples from the volunteers on pieces of cloth during both their stressful and restful states. Meanwhile, other researchers worked with 18