Twenty-nine suspects in Hualien were detained yesterday for allegedly running a scam operation targeting Chinese nationals by pretending to be Chinese public security officers.
The police on Thursday raided a location in Hualien County’s Shoufong Township (壽豐) and arrested 30 suspects.
The suspects, including Hong Kong citizens and Hualien locals, were detained yesterday following questioning, except for a man who was released on NT$100,000 bail.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau
After receiving tips, Prosecutor Wang Yi-jen (王怡仁) from the Hualien District Prosecutors’ Office started an investigation and surveillance work to track the alleged operation based at a guesthouse in Shoufong and led by a trio surnamed Tsai (蔡), Lin (林) and Cheng (鄭).
The trio allegedly turned the guesthouse into a scam base and set up computers, telecom equipment, desks and sleeping areas, the prosecutors’ office said.
After an arrest warrant was issued, officers from the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau on Thursday raided the guesthouse and seized 39 mobile phones, nine computers, networking systems and telecom devices, along with 230 grams of ketamine.
They also found a set of uniforms with a cap and identification badges, allegedly used to impersonate Chinese public security officers.
During their questioning, some suspects admitted they targeted Chinese, by first sending out texts, notifying the targets of “being implicated in a crime investigation,” and telling them to provide a telephone number to call, Wang said.
They allegedly demanded victims to transfer money into bank accounts to “enable monitoring of illegal transactions” as part of the investigation, Wang said.
The trio started the operation earlier this year, allegedly taking advantage of summer months to recruit local young people with the promise of easy work and a high salary, Wang said, adding that they hired several people from Hong Kong as instructors, as they were experienced in money fraud targeting Chinese.
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