The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office is investigating 92 fraud suspects arrested in Montenegro early this year, including one who is believed to have been forced into cooperating with the alleged scheme, prosecutors said yesterday.
Prosecutors identified a woman “in her 20s” by the alias Hsiao Ping (小萍), who had been backpacking through Europe with her boyfriend when they ran out of money.
They cited Hsiao Ping as saying that her boyfriend had found work for them in a telephone fraud ring, but did not tell her that the work was illegal, and after arriving at the workplace her passport was taken and she was prevented from going outside.
Photo copied by Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times
The boyfriend claimed that the two were lured to Montenegro, which contradicts Hsiao Ping’s testimony, prosecutor Chang Shih-chia (張時嘉) said, but added that he believes she is telling the truth.
Evidence shows that her boyfriend had earlier contact with the criminal organization that hired them, he said.
Records confiscated at the time of the group’s arrest show that Hsiao Ping had the worst performance of all those arrested, which helps corroborate her story, Chang said.
Photo copied by Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times
Hsiao Ping claimed to have been scolded and told to write out 10 copies of a blackmail statement on numerous occasions due to her poor performance, he said.
While the prosecutors maintain that she still committed fraud, they might seek to drop or reduce the charges against her due to the evidence that she was an unwilling participant in the fraud, he added.
Montenegrin prosecutors had originally planned a raid for Jan. 1 to apprehend the group, which had been in operation since at least September last year, but were forced to postpone until Jan. 8 due to a lack of personnel, Chang said.
The members of the alleged fraud ring were arrested one day before they were to receive their pay for that month, he said.
When they were arrested, the jail was full, so a facility normally used to house asylum seekers was converted into a makeshift detention center, he added.
Three Taiwanese lawyers traveled to Montenegro after the arrests, Chang said.
The raid also resulted in the confiscation of NT$2 million (US$66,878), while another NT$6 million was seized from an alleged financial backer in Taiwan surnamed Chen (陳), Chang said, but added that an investigation into Chen was still ongoing and he had not been indicted.
The group made NT$632.7 million through a scheme in which they pretended to be Chinese communications authorities, prosecutors or public security bureau officials requesting cash payments from victims because their identities had been used by criminals charged with money laundering, prosecutors said.
Investigators also confiscated one property in Taichung, as well as cash, diamonds, luxury watches and other items at the property, and two vehicles — a Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota, Chang said, adding that the items were sold at auction yesterday.
Chinese authorities had sought the extradition of the group, but were unsuccessful because Taiwanese investigators had already been working with Montenegrin authorities on the case, he said.
China has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. These alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions (Notams), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert is
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
China has reserved offshore airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts that are usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. The alerts, known as notice to air missions (NOTAMs), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert
RSS