Beware! Fake military personnel scamming vegetable vendors in southern Taiwan; one vendor loses NT$390,000

A scammer impersonating a military procurement officer has defrauded a vegetable vendor in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, of NT$390,000. The fraudster, who identified himself as Sergeant Hong from the 8th Army's Dan Nei camp, contacted vendors with a fake procurement list for hundreds of kilograms of vegetables, totaling approximately NT$70,000.

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If my personal information is released, I hope my mother, father, and brother will not be harmed.

One vendor, surnamed Chen, grew suspicious when the scammer refused to provide a direct phone number for the military unit and instead asked for Chen's identification documents to process a visitor pass. Chen realized this was a potential scam when he discovered that the scammer's LINE profile disappeared shortly after. He had not yet purchased the vegetables, thus avoiding financial loss.

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I am sorry for committing a crime.

Chen later learned from industry colleagues that other vendors had also received similar orders. One vendor, identified as 'A', had already purchased some vegetables and had to sell them at a low price and report the incident to the police. Another vendor, 'B', canceled the order and escaped the scam. The Kaohsiung vendor who lost NT$390,000 reportedly fell victim to a tactic where the scammer would claim to need additional items at the last minute and ask for an advance payment, which would then be lost.

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My dream is to be a police officer, like my father.