The Executive Yuan’s Anti-Fraud Command Center yesterday cautioned the public ahead of the Baishatun Matsu pilgrimage against scams disguised as trade in Matsu-blessed items, cheap produce or rice cookers.
This year’s pilgrimage, widely recognized as Taiwan’s longest religious procession on foot, is to begin on Sunday.
The center said people should be cautious when online sellers say that identity or payment verification has failed and ask the customer to add their Line or contact online customer services.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
Such scams often occur when sellers use shipping services provided by 7-Eleven or FamilyMart, it said, adding that people should immediately call the 165 anti-fraud hotline in such situations.
The scam method has recently been rampant on Facebook and Threads, the center said, adding that online shopping scams on both platforms amounted to 4,490 cases last month, making up 87.66 percent of online shopping scams.
Scams involving farm products comprised most of the cases, it said.
The second-most common scam type involved “free Matsu-blessed items with only shipping fee charged,” followed by new electric rice cookers at low prices, it said.
Scams disguised as concert tickets, fan merchandise or second-hand goods sales were also common, it added.
Scammers selling goods on social media would ask buyers to communicate via Facebook Messenger or Line and provide a link of 7-Eleven or FamilyMart shipping services, the center said.
When buyers follow the procedures to make the transaction, a page would pop up showing that “real-name authentication was not completed” or “payment verification failed” — which are typical scam language — and demand buyers contact online customer services, it said.
Scammers would use various excuses to demand online transfers, cash withdrawals without passbooks, or QR code withdrawals, or pretend to be bank personnel calling the buyers and asking them to send their ATM cards or passbooks, the center said, as it urge people to remain vigilant to prevent large financial losses.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS