Criminal groups are increasingly targeting Malaysians, who they try to recruit with false advertisements, to use them in cyberscams and investment fraud schemes in Taiwan, police said.
Pingtung County’s Chaozhou Police Precinct alone has detained three Malaysians, who are facing prosecution over the past few months, police said.
Tainan City Police Department’s First Precinct last week said it captured three alleged money collectors, two Taiwanese and a Chinese Malaysian.
Photo: screen grab from the Criminal Investigation Bureau’s Facebook page
The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said that recent cases indicate a shift for international criminal groups, who in the past targeted Taiwanese by promising them high-paying jobs overseas.
It seems like such groups now also target Malaysians for their scam operations in Taiwan.
“The method is similar. Criminal groups use social media and share enticing adverts promising earning good money with no academic qualification requirements. Some adverts promise all-expense-paid trips abroad,” said a CIB official who spoke on condition of anonymity on Saturday.
Chinese Malaysians make good targets for criminal groups, as they can speak Mandarin, they said.
When arrested and questioned by police, some suspects said they were offered jobs, so they took the opportunity, the official said.
Some suspects said they had received some training before coming to Taiwan.
“They believed it was an easy money opportunity, in which they would only work for a few days, then return to Malaysia,” they said. “So, they agreed to work as money collectors in Taiwan.”
Malaysians can enter Taiwan visa-free for up to 30 days, so some Malaysians were targeted by adverts on social media promising paid flights and accommodation, they added.
From August to this month, more than 30 Malaysians were arrested across Taiwan for allegedly working as money collectors, the official said.
Additional reporting by Chang Jui-chen and Wang Chieh
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
RSS