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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Crime & Justice

Online job offers lure victims into elaborate scams, police warn

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Police warn of a surge in job scams where fraudsters offer fake remote work and initial pay to gain trust before demanding cryptocurrency investments.
  • A woman lost $500,000 after being lured into a high-return project, only to be asked for an additional $570,000 in fees to withdraw her funds.
  • Authorities urge job seekers to be vigilant, avoid upfront payments or cryptocurrency purchases, and report suspicious offers to the anti-fraud hotline.

A woman fell victim to a sophisticated job scam, losing $500,000 after being lured by the promise of remote work and initial pay. The scam began when she applied for a data entry position through an app. After receiving two months of legitimate salary payments, she was persuaded to invest in a "limited-time capital increase project" within a work group. Lured by screenshots of profits shared by other group members, she invested $500,000 via cryptocurrency over five days.

Be vigilant when looking for work. Any job that asks you to pay out of pocket or buy cryptocurrency is definitely a scam.

— PolicePolice are warning the public about a rise in job scams and advising caution.

To further legitimize the scheme, the fraudsters presented a fake lawyer for online contract verification. When the woman attempted to withdraw her funds, she was told she needed to pay 30% of the profits, approximately $570,000, as a handling fee. Fortunately, her frequent large transactions triggered the bank's risk control system, suspending her account. A visit to the bank revealed the scam, preventing further losses.

Scammers first spend a small amount to pay salaries to gain trust, then use fake contracts and fake group members to make victims anxious about not getting their principal back, leading them to continue remitting money.

— Criminal Investigation BureauThe bureau analyzed the modus operandi of the job scam.

Criminal Investigation Bureau officials explained that scammers build trust with small initial payments before exploiting victims' anxiety about losing their principal. They use fake group members and fabricated contracts to pressure victims into continuous remittance. Police advise job seekers to be wary of any job requiring upfront payment or cryptocurrency purchases, as these are definitive signs of fraud. They also caution against believing profit-sharing claims or legal assurances, urging immediate reporting of suspicious activities to the anti-fraud hotline.

Don't believe it just because they use legal terms or have a lawyer witness. If you have doubts, immediately call the 165 anti-fraud hotline or 110 for verification.

— PolicePolice are advising how to verify suspicious job offers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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