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.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS