Malaysian man arrested in Taiwan as money mule day before departure

A 29-year-old Malaysian national, identified as Chen, was arrested in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, just one day before his scheduled return to Malaysia. Chen had entered Taiwan to act as a money mule for a fraudulent scheme, but his activities were cut short when he was apprehended on June 2.

Authorities were alerted after a victim, Huang, reported being scammed. Huang had responded to an online loan advertisement and was instructed to mail his three bank cards via convenience store package. When his accounts were flagged, Huang realized he had been exploited and reported the incident.

Investigators tracked Chen, who had used a taxi to collect the bank card packages. After days of surveillance and analysis, they located Chen at a department store in Kaohsiung's Cianjhen District. He was apprehended around 8:10 p.m. on June 2, and a mobile phone was seized.

Chen had reportedly been in Taiwan for about a week, planning to depart on June 3. He earned over NT$10,000 (approximately $310 USD) during his stay, a sum authorities deemed insufficient compensation for the risks involved. Following the investigation, Chen was transferred to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office on fraud charges.

Given that Chen had already prepared his flight ticket back to Malaysia, prosecutors requested his detention to prevent him from fleeing. The Kaohsiung District Court granted the detention request on the evening of June 3. Investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend any accomplices within the larger criminal network.