Man Sentenced for Terrifying Elderly Woman with Ghost Money During Debt Dispute

A man in Miaoli, Taiwan, has been sentenced to three months in prison for a debt collection tactic that involved scattering "ghost money" outside an elderly woman's home. The incident occurred when the man, identified by the surname Chen, went with two accomplices to the home of his debtor's elderly mother to intimidate her.

According to the court documents, Chen and his associates went to the woman's residence in the evening. After surveying the location, they returned to their car to retrieve large bundles of "ghost money," also known as spirit money, which they then threw wildly in front of her door. This act deeply frightened the elderly woman, who lives alone.

Adding to the distress, the woman's home was later plastered with flyers containing her son's photo and debt-collection messages. She also received multiple threatening text messages, causing her extreme fear and prompting her to report the incident to the police. Prosecutors argued that scattering "ghost money" at someone's home is a curse, implying a wish for the recipient to die and have a miserable afterlife. Such actions are considered terrifying in contemporary society.

The Miaoli District Court ruled that Chen's method of using intimidation through scattering "ghost money" demonstrated a lack of self-control and legal awareness. The judge determined that his actions caused the victim significant fear and were therefore unacceptable. Chen has the option to pay a fine in lieu of serving the three-month jail sentence.