Authorities dismantled a fraud ring accused of running investment scams from Taiwan targeting Chinese women in the US and Canada, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said in a statement yesterday.
Nine people suspected of fraud, aggravated fraud, money laundering and organized crime have been arrested, with seven of them detained, the CIB said.
The suspects would chat with people online and used deepfake technology during video calls to gain their trust and persuade them to invest in fake energy schemes, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Criminal Investigation Bureau
Seven people who incurred combined losses of NT$3.5 million (US$116,854) have been identified, the CIB said, adding that law enforcement authorities in the US and Canada have been contacted for assistance in the ongoing investigation.
Authorities in November last year raided a location in Taichung’s Shalu District (沙鹿) and arrested six people, the statement said.
During the raid, the suspects disposed of some mobile phones in a bucket of sulfuric acid, it said.
In March, two other suspects — a Web page developer who designed faked investment sites and an engineer responsible for Web site design — were arrested, it said.
The main sponsor of the operation was arrested at the beginning of last month at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airpot) as he was about to fly abroad, the CIB said.
Investigators seized NT$73,000 in cash, as well as laptops, mobile phones and devices that alter voices, it added.
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