Nine people were defrauded out of NT$9.33 million (US$299,518) in September, some in scams seeking to exploit the government’s universal cash handout program, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said yesterday.
A 77-year-old retiree in Taipei lost NT$3.2 million to scammers, after receiving a call from a person claiming to be a post office employee, the bureau said.
The fraudster told the woman that someone had used her ID to collect the cash handout, and transferred her to a fake police officer, allegedly at the government’s 165 anti-fraud hotline, it said.
Photo: CNA
The “officer” told the woman to add them on the messaging app Line to verify her information.
She later received a call from another person impersonating a police officer telling her that she was involved in a money laundering scheme, sending her a fake summons and search warrant over Line, the bureau said.
The scammer told the woman that if the police discovered money in a search of her home, the funds would be confiscated as illegal monetary gains. She was then told to make an appointment with them to turn over the money in her home.
The scammers also asked her to add a person claiming to be a prosecutor to Line, and was told not to disclose the nature of their “investigation,” it said.
She then gave them the NT$3.2 million she had in her home.
Five of the nine cases were committed by scammers impersonating prosecutors and police officers, bureau data showed.
Three were committed by scammers who claimed that they were collecting cash handouts on behalf of others and prompted victims to send them their ATM cards through the mail.
The other incident involved a fake Web site for the universal cash handout program, which obtained the victim’s credit card information.
So far, suspects involved in six of the nine fraud schemes have been arrested, the bureau said.
The bureau said it had received 70 to 80 scam calls and messages related to the universal cash handout program.
To prevent being deceived by fraud, people should avoid clicking on suspicious links or giving out personal data to strangers or unverified Web sites, and do not wire funds to strangers or spread misinformation, the CIB said.
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