Man Loses Over $4 Million NTD to Pu'er Tea Investment Scam

A man from Changhua County fell victim to a "Pu'er tea fraud group," losing 4.09 million New Taiwan dollars through a series of cash payments and bank transfers. The scammer, who used the LINE alias "Chen Meixia," promised investors guaranteed profits of over 50 times their initial investment by selling "old-batch Pu'er tea" with a guaranteed high buy-back price.

The victim handed over 190,000 NTD in cash twice, followed by bank transfers totaling 1.35 million NTD, 1.9 million NTD, and 450,000 NTD. The fraud group was exposed by the Criminal Investigation Bureau's Southern Regional Crime Suppression Center in October 2024, and the case is currently under judicial review. The victim is one of several identified as part of this operation.

In one instance, the victim was persuaded to provide 1.35 million NTD for more tea cakes under the guise of a loan. He requested 20 Pu'er tea cakes as collateral and was given a promissory note. The tea cakes and note were personally delivered by a courier identified by the surname Nian, who was later sentenced to 1 year and 5 months in prison. Nian claimed ignorance, stating he was merely following instructions. The court found Nian guilty as a co-conspirator with other group members, including "Chen Meixia," "Si Cong," and Lin Yihuan, despite the prosecution's request for a 3-year and 9-month sentence. He was also ordered to compensate the victim 1.35 million NTD.