Tainan police yesterday announced they had uncovered a telecom fraud ring that had earned millions and arrested three suspects during a recent raid.
Tsai Ching-yuan (蔡慶源), deputy leader of criminal investigation section at the Tainan Fifth Police Precinct, identified the suspects as a 32-year-old man surnamed Tseng (曾), a 19-year-old man surnamed Lee (李) and a 21-year-old woman surnamed Hsieh (謝).
“The three were questioned by prosecutors, and a local court yesterday approved their detention. We believe Tseng headed the operation, but we are continuing to look for other suspects,” Tsai said.
Hsieh had allegedly admitted to working as a money collector and receiving instructions from Tseng, investigators said.
According to the investigators, Hsieh said she had collected more than NT$8 million (US$270,975.2) from automated teller machines (ATMs) in different cities over a two-week period last month, including Taoyuan, Miaoli, Taichung, Yunlin and Tainan.
Hsieh said she was paid a 2 percent commission of NT$160,000, police said.
Tsai said ATM video footage had helped investigators zero in on Hsieh, but they had difficulty tracking her movements as she visited the ATMs on foot, so there were no car or motorcycle license plate numbers to help trace her.
Hsieh, who weighs more than 100kg, told police that she would travel to the various cities by bus or train and then would walk from the bus or train station to an ATM specified by Tseng for exercise to help her lose weight, investigators said.
“Although I have lost 2 kilograms over the past month, I am regretful and will not engage in such illegal activities again,” police quoted Hsieh as saying.
They said she told them she knew she could face jail and have to pay compensation to the ring’s victims if convicted of fraud.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS