Taxi drivers who provide purchasing and delivery services should exercise caution, after a driver became implicated in a money-laundering scheme when he bought prepaid cards for a customer, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said.
In June, a taxi driver surnamed Chiang (蔣) purchased prepaid Apple Store and Taiwan Mobile cards at a convenience store at a customer’s request, the bureau said on July 28.
The customer agreed to transfer the money to Chiang first, and paid him a NT$100 fee for the service, it said.
Photo: Screen grab from the Bureau’s Facebook page
Chiang bought one NT$3,000 Apple Store card and two NT$300 Taiwan Mobile cards, as requested, and sent the customer photographs of the cards’ serial numbers, the bureau said.
Chiang later spoke about the transaction with another driver, who told him that he had also fulfilled a similar request for a customer.
The other driver said his bank account was frozen after buying the cards, and he was shocked to learn that the customer making the request had been laundering money.
Taxis offer a variety of services to stay competitive, but criminals could use them for money laundering, the bureau said.
In Chiang’s case, the suspect had used a third party to make the bank transfer to Chiang to try to avoid detection, it said.
Suspects typically sell the prepaid cards online for less than the cards’ face value, but as the cards are used for criminal activity and become inactive, the purchaser becomes a victim, it said.
“Prepaid cards are often used by criminals as they are anonymous, quick and easy to transfer, and can be used to purchase and resell other items,” it said. “This anonymity and ease of transfer makes them an easy tool for money laundering and fraud.”
The bureau urged people to avoid helping others purchase prepaid cards and other high-risk products that can be used for money laundering, to avoid becoming an accomplice in fraud.
People with questions can call the 165 anti-fraud hotline, it said.
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