People should protect their personal and bank account information when looking for jobs, as employment scams are frequently reported, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said yesterday.
Taking advantage of job seekers’ pressure, fraud rings might use all means to trick people into revealing bank or credit card account numbers, or even hold them hostage, the CIB said in a statement.
A woman surnamed Chung (鍾), 20, in July saw an advertisement on a jobseekers’ Facebook page and contacted the employer via Line.
Photo: CNA
Chung was told to bring her identification card, National Health Insurance (NHI) card, bank passbook and ATM card to an interview at a hotel in Taipei.
Upon entering the hotel room, she was threatened by five or six men to hand over her phone and the cards, and to tell them her card and phone PIN numbers and online bank account password.
She was released five days later with her belongings, except for the bank passbook and the ATM card.
Chung only realized that she had fallen victim to an employment scam after being informed by the police that her bank account was marked as high-risk.
Separately, a substitute teacher surnamed Hung (洪) saw an advertisement for an amateur model job in a Facebook group, and contacted the employer to inquire about the salary.
She added the company’s official Line account and was persuaded to buy clothes for the job, but had to pay up to NT$70,000 in customs shipping fees.
She realized she had been duped after her contact disappeared with the money, so she reported it to the police.
Arranging a fake interview to obtain identification cards and bank passbooks is a common method used by employment scammers, the CIB said.
When seeking employment, people should make sure that the company is registered and legal, and they should tell family members or friends before going to an interview, it said.
People should not lend or sell their identification cards, bank passbooks or passwords, or give them to suspicious individuals, it said.
A “high-paid, easy” position is usually a scam, it said, adding that people should not pay unclear fees or sign questionable contracts.
People should pay attention to whether the location of the interview and the job position is consistent, it added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as