Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed.
The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter.
They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said.
Photo: CNA
NPA data showed that 255 fraud cases were reported by 117 farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments last year, with the amount of money intercepted totaling NT$182.13 million, the AFA said, adding that up to 40 associations each intercepted NT$1 million or more.
The Bali Farmers’ Association in New Taipei City intercepted the most, reaching NT$24.38 million, followed by New Taipei City’s Banciao Farmers’ Association with NT$18.17 million and Taichung Area Farmers’ Association with NT$14.78 million, the AFA said.
New Taipei City’s Jhonghe Farmers’ Association reported the most cases at 12, while the Bali Farmers’ Association intercepted the highest amount in a single case, blocking NT$15 million, it said.
New Taipei City identified the most cases at 46 and intercepted the most money at NT$61.12 million, the AFA added.
Several cases were investment scams targeting people who joined a Line group for stock trading or multilevel marketing schemes, it said.
People were tricked into believing an investment was profitable and they tried to borrow a substantial amount of money from friends, family or a farmers’ association to make the investment, the AFA said.
The AFA said it collaborated with the Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance to produce a video warning against artificial intelligence-driven deepfake scams.
The video is available on the AFA’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McFRJHT8SDQ.
“Fraud gangs would use photos posted on social media to create deepfakes and pretend that they are friends or relatives of their target,” AFA Director-General Lee Tsung-yung (李聰勇) said, adding that deepfakes could also imitate voices.
Scam techniques continue to evolve alongside digital technology developments, the AFA said, urging the public to heighten their awareness of fraud and call the 110 police or 165 anti-fraud hotlines in case of suspected fraud situations.
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
Starting on Jan. 1, YouBike riders must have insurance to use the service, and a six-month trial of NT$5 coupons under certain conditions would be implemented to balance bike shortages, a joint statement from transportation departments across Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan announced yesterday. The rental bike system operator said that coupons would be offered to riders to rent bikes from full stations, for riders who take out an electric-assisted bike from a full station, and for riders who return a bike to an empty station. All riders with YouBike accounts are automatically eligible for the program, and each membership account
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
RSS