Taichung Councilor Impersonated in Fake Voting Scam; Police Advise on Account Recovery

Taichung City is facing a surge in LINE account theft scams, with a recent incident involving impersonation of City Councilor Chen Ting-hsiu. The fraudulent group is reportedly using various online voting contests, such as child art competitions, to lure victims into clicking fake links and divulging their account credentials.

Scammers are leveraging popular themes like children's drawings, family events, and pet photo contests to gain traction. They entice individuals by claiming the votes are crucial for winning or ranking high in these competitions. Once a victim clicks the provided link and enters their LINE login information and SMS verification code, their account is immediately compromised.

Following reports of these scams, Chen Ting-hsiu's office issued an urgent alert, creating graphics to warn the public against the deceptive messages. The Taichung City Criminal Investigation Division has stated that if a LINE account is stolen, users should not immediately delete the app. Instead, they should update it to the latest version (15.4.0 or above) and utilize the 're-login' feature, which offers a chance to recover the compromised account.

This wave of LINE account theft follows a pattern where scammers exploit social engagement activities to harvest personal information. The police are investigating the full scope of the operation and urging the public to exercise extreme caution when clicking on unsolicited links or providing personal data online.

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If you find your LINE account has been stolen, do not delete the app immediately. First, update it to version 15.4.0 or higher and use the 're-login' function; you may have a chance to get your account back.