The Taipei City Police Department today announced the results of its anti-fraud campaign from April to June 2015. During the quarter, a total of 140 fraud syndicates and 1,432 individuals were uncovered, and illegal gains of more than NT$459.47 million were confiscated. In addition, with the joint police-bank prevention and front-line immediate care, they successfully blocked fraud amounting to more than NT$390.31 million during the same period. The Taipei City Police Department won the first place in the country in the second quarter performance evaluation of the "Enhancing National Anti-Fraud Action Project" of the Ministry of Interior Police Department.
Among them, the investigation task force of the Criminal Police Brigade of the Peking City Police Department spent half a year collecting evidence. Under the command of the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office, it successively carried out four waves of arrest and search operations, and successfully dismantled a fraud and money laundering group led by the suspect surnamed Guo with a complete hierarchical division of labor and more than 30 members. More than NT$15 million in cash was seized on site.
The police investigation found that in recent years, as fake investment fraud crimes have continued to be rampant, fraud groups no longer just send riders to withdraw money, but have developed into a highly organized and corporate crime model. These groups are controlled by overseas fraud machines and conduct fraud by publishing investment advertisements on social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
According to statistics from the "Anti-Fraud Dashboard", from January to August 2020, the number of fraud cases accepted in the city was 11,329, with a total financial loss of more than NT$7.037 billion. Compared with the same period last year, the number of fraud cases accepted dropped by 15%, and the amount of financial losses decreased by 33%. The overall trend is converging and declining, showing that the fight against fraud has been effective. However, most fraud methods still use "fake investment" methods to cause the highest financial losses.
Scammers often use social networking sites, dating software or communication platforms to place a large number of fraudulent advertisements, tricking people into joining LINE groups and then downloading fake investment platform apps. They use words such as "guaranteed profits", "dedicated personnel to take orders", "guaranteed profits", etc. to trick victims step by step into traps carefully designed by the scammers. They invest large sums of money. When they want to withdraw, they continue to demand payment for reasons such as deposits, taxes, handling fees, etc., and ultimately lose all their money.
The police have recently discovered that the "fake voting, real stolen accounts" technique has reappeared. Fraudulent groups often use compromised LINE accounts to send phishing links to relatives and friends under the guise of "vote for my dogs and cats," "popularity contest for furry kids," or "children's participation in drawing contests." People tend to lower their guard because the messages come from familiar relatives and friends. Once they click on the link and follow the instructions to enter their LINE account number, password or SMS verification code, the fraud group may gain control of their account.
The police remind that fraud syndicates often take advantage of people's concern for pets and children to lower their vigilance. When receiving a "Help to vote" message from relatives and friends, do not click on the link directly because the message comes from the account of a familiar relative or friend; if the webpage requires entering a LINE password, SMS verification code or other account verification information, you should stop the operation immediately and confirm with the relative or friend by phone or other means. If you find that your LINE account is suspected of being stolen, you should immediately notify your relatives and friends to be vigilant to avoid being defrauded by impersonation; if you have any questions, you can call the 165 anti-fraud consultation hotline for verification. If you have been defrauded, you should report the case to the police as soon as possible.
