The Consumer Protection Officer of the Taipei City Legal Affairs Bureau invited industry players and relevant units to hold an "E-commerce Platform Consumer Fraud Prevention Management Mechanism Improvement Meeting" to review the current fraud prevention measures of each platform, and discuss the introduction of AI monitoring to strengthen high-risk message identification and real-time warning mechanisms. He also hopes to work with the central government to promote the inclusion of platform fraud prevention mechanisms into friendly e-commerce assessment projects.
In order to reduce the risk of consumers being defrauded when using e-commerce platforms, the Consumer Protection Officer of the Taipei City Legal Affairs Bureau invited businesses and relevant units to hold an "E-commerce Platform Consumption Anti-Fraud Management Mechanism Improvement Meeting" to review the current anti-fraud measures on each platform, and discuss the introduction of AI monitoring to strengthen high-risk message identification and real-time warning mechanisms. They also hope to work with the central government to promote the inclusion of platform fraud prevention mechanisms into friendly e-commerce assessment projects.
Consumer Protection Officer Chen Jianzhi explained that fraud groups may use homophones, special symbols, distorted text or pictures, or even split messages into multiple paragraphs to avoid keyword comparison and image and text censorship. If the platform fails to grasp the previous and subsequent conversations and transaction situations, consumers may still have remitted money or delivered personal information even if the fraudulent account is subsequently deactivated. How to enhance the identification of high-risk investment, financial and other content, and issue warnings at critical moments to increase consumers' awareness of abnormalities and reconfirm transactions, is crucial to preventing fraud. In addition to blocking messages and deactivating accounts after detecting abnormalities, anti-fraud measures should also promptly remind users of possible transaction risks before consumers remit money, provide personal information, or are directed to leave the platform.
Chen Jianzhi said that the "Consumer Fraud Prevention Management Mechanism Improvement Conference for E-commerce Platforms" invited major domestic e-commerce platforms such as Open Air Market, PChome, Fubon Media (momo), Shopee, Yahoo, and Coolpeng, as well as the Digital Industry Agency of the Ministry of Digital Development and the Taipei Computer Business Association to discuss the matter.
The Legal Affairs Bureau stated that after questionnaire surveys and industry exchanges, various platforms have adopted measures such as keyword identification, image and text review, abnormal behavior and clicks on external links (external links) monitoring and account management, and have blocked messages, restricted functions or deactivated accounts according to the degree of risk. In cases of suspected fraud, they have also kept conversation records and assisted or guided consumers to report the case. However, except for Shopee, which adopts AI monitoring and real-time push warnings; and Yahoo, which adopts AI monitoring and establishes a review mechanism for high-risk messages, other platform operators have not yet adopted the same anti-fraud measures.
The Legal Affairs Bureau encourages each platform to evaluate the use of AI semantic analysis based on its scale, operation type and risk characteristics to improve the ability to identify conversation situations and potential fraud risks, and to use it with existing message masking, account management and manual processing measures to strengthen prior warning, in-process fraud prevention and post-event assistance. Although e-commerce platforms such as PChome, Fubon Media (momo) and Coolpeng stated at the meeting that their current operations are still based on B2C (business to consumer), so they do not provide dialogue functions between buyers and sellers. However, the operation model of the above-mentioned e-commerce platforms also includes B2B2C (the platform connects suppliers and consumers), providing a platform for companies or brands to set up shop. Therefore, the Legal Affairs Bureau urges the above-mentioned e-commerce companies to still refer to the fraud prevention mechanisms of their peers as soon as possible and introduce AI monitoring and immediate intervention warning mechanisms.
The Digital Industry Agency was also invited to participate in the meeting. In addition to exchanging opinions on the policy direction of the central government's promotion of the "e-commerce friendly" system and the platform's fraud prevention practices, the meeting's initiatives are expected to be included in the evaluation indicators for friendly e-commerce to guide e-commerce companies to establish a positive recycling consumption environment.
The Legal Affairs Bureau emphasized that prevention is better than cure. E-commerce platforms cannot passively deal with account disposal and report assistance after users have been defrauded. They should also strengthen risk identification and prompt intervention before users are defrauded. Call on e-commerce platforms to continue to review anti-fraud measures and work with the government to improve transaction security; the introduction of technological tools should focus on whether they can promptly remind consumers and reduce the risk of fraud, while taking into account the convenience of normal transactions.
