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)
Undersea cables are conductors wrapped in insulating materials and laid on the seabed. Their main functions are telecommunications or power transmission. The core of the undersea cables used for Internet signals is optical fiber, using light to transmit Internet signals. Taiwan’s communications are currently handled by 10 domestic undersea cables and 14 international undersea cables. About 99 percent of Taiwan’s Internet bandwidth relies on undersea cables, making them Taiwan’s “digital lifeline.” The demands on the cables’ bandwidth are only set to increase with the development of artificial intelligence (AI), which relies on the data fed into it. Today, data is
Recent events in Taiwan have highlighted the contentious nature of “priority seating” on public transportation. Incidents, such as passengers experiencing emotional distress after being compelled to give up their seats and elderly individuals attacking others after being refused a seat, have prompted a national reassessment of this policy. Some voices in Taiwan now advocate for abolishing priority seats to prevent such conflicts. This issue is not unique to Taiwan. In South Korea, where respect for the elderly is deeply ingrained, priority seating has led to similar confrontations. Younger passengers often face accusations of disrespect if they do not yield seats. In
A: Astrologer Ai Fei-er has just released his horoscope reading for this year. B: What do the stars tell us? A: Aries may be reborn through challenges, Tauruses should keep learning and Geminis will have double the good luck. B: Wow, so lucky. A: Cancers may see the light in the dark, Leos should conceal their ability and bide their time and Virgos will brave the wind and waves. A: 艾菲爾老師的2025年星座大預測出爐啦。 B: 今年各星座運勢如何？ A: 「牡羊座」挑戰重生、「金牛座」學無止境、「雙子座」幸運倍增。 B: 真幸運！ A: 「巨蟹座」柳暗花明、「獅子座」韜光養晦、「處女座」乘風破浪。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: And how about the other star signs? B: Libras can benefit from multiple perspectives, Scorpios will be tough as steel and Sagittariuses may travel around. A: Cool, what’s next? B: Capricorns may take the lead, Aquarius may start a new life and Pisces should be well prepared for action. A: I hope we’ll have a lot of good fortune in the Year of the Snake. A: 其他的星座運勢如何？ B: 「天秤座」左右逢源、「天蠍座」百煉成鋼、「射手座」志在四方。 A: 還有呢？ B: 「摩羯座」一馬當先、「水瓶座」脫胎換骨、「雙魚座」蓄勢待發。 A: 希望大家在蛇年能好運旺旺來！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
RSS