When a 59-year-old deaf-mute man surnamed Hsu had an online encounter with a foreigner who claimed to be a diplomat, he nearly ended up as the victim of a fraud syndicate.
A police investigation revealed that Hsu had got to know a foreign Internet user calling himself “Alvin,” who said that he was a diplomat from a certain country but was not in a position to reveal his identity because he was on a secret mission abroad. He said he had a parcel that he urgently needed to send back to Taiwan, and he hoped Hsu could take delivery of it. Next, someone claiming to represent a courier company sent Hsu a message saying that he would need to pay tax and customs fees to collect the parcel, and asking Hsu to go to a bank to transfer the money.
Without thinking, on Jan. 11 Hsu did as he had been asked by going to Chang Hwa Bank’s Shuangyuan branch in Taipei, where he applied to transfer the sum of NT$30,000. However, the bank staff noticed that something was out of order and reported it to Wanhua Police Precinct’s Yingguang Police Station. Police officers Hsu Li-yuan and Tung Yu-hsuan hurried to the scene, where they determined that Hsu had encountered a fraud syndicate. Using written notes, the police officers told Hsu about some related cases, and only then did he give up the idea of transferring the money.
Photo copied by Wang Kuan-jen, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報王冠仁翻攝
However, the fraud syndicate was not ready to give up, and they used clever talk to persuade Hsu into making another trip to a bank on Jan. 19, this time to the Bank of Taiwan’s Longshan branch, where he applied to make a transfer of NT$84,000. Luckily, the bank staff again noticed that something was amiss and reported it to the police. On receiving the report, Deputy Chief Chen Chin-tien of Kangding Police Station went to the scene, where he used a pen and paper to explain that he was a police officer. He then read through the recorded conversations between Hsu and the other parties, from which he discovered that the fraud syndicate was once again using the same method to trick Hsu.
Wanhua Police Precinct urges the public to remember that if they receive phone calls from an unknown caller they should make detailed enquiries and immediately dial the 165 or 110 hotlines to check, so that they do not fall foul of scammers. The police said that everyone should keep in mind the triple formula of “Don’t rush; don’t be anxious; think carefully” and do a detailed check, because that is the only effective way to avoid becoming a target for scammers’ greed.
(Translated by Julian Clegg, Taipei Times)
Photo: Scamhaters United 照片：Scamhaters United
五十九歲徐姓瘖啞人士，透過網路認識一名聲稱是外交官的外籍網友，結果差一點成為詐騙集團的被害人。
警方調查，徐男透過網路認識一名自稱「阿爾文」的外籍網友，對方說他是某國外交官，因為在海外執行秘密任務、身分不便曝光。「阿爾文」又說他有一份包裹要緊急寄回台灣，希望徐能夠幫忙簽收。隨後又有自稱快遞公司人員傳訊息給徐，聲稱要領包裹必須支付稅金、海關費等，要徐前去銀行匯款。
徐一時不察，一月十一日依對方所說，前往台北市彰化銀行雙園分行要臨櫃匯款三萬元，但行員發現異狀，通報轄區萬華分局莒光所；警員許?元、董羽軒趕到現場，發現徐遇上詐騙集團，隨即用筆談方式告訴他相關案例，他才放棄匯款。
Photo: Military Romance Scams Facebook page 照片：Military Romance Scams臉書
不過，詐騙集團不死心，又用話術對徐「洗腦」，徐又於一月十九日台灣銀行龍山分行要臨櫃匯款八萬四千元；幸虧行員再次發現異狀，通報警方。康定路派出所副所長陳進添獲報前往，以紙筆書寫表示警察身分，且經查看徐與對方的對話紀錄，發現詐騙集團又用相同手法騙徐。
萬華分局呼籲，民眾如接獲不明電話應詳細查詢，請立即撥打165或110專線查證，以免落入詐騙陷阱，並切記三要訣「勿急、勿躁、多思考」！詳加查證，才能有效避免成為歹徒覬覦目標。
(自由時報)
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港？ A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市，還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕，看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎？有什麼特別的？ B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃，包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食，像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術／消影術」魔法，能瞬間移動到商場去！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role
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