The Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday cautioned those preparing to study overseas during the summer vacation to be alert to scamming schemes.
The most common are telephone, ATM, e-mail, text or SMS, leasing and Internet scams, said Lin Hsia-ying (林曉瑩), director-general of the ministry’s International Affairs Division.
Lin said that when abroad, people should listen carefully when they receive a phone call and beware if the caller asks for personal or bank account information.
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
People should not provide their personal information or transfer money, hang up to prevent being further influenced by the caller, memorize the caller’s phone number and ask anti-scamming units to trace the number, she said.
The ministry urged people not to pick up phone calls from unknown numbers and not to click on suspicious links sent via unknown e-mail accounts or SMS.
They should not lightly believe others, especially when they ask for personal or bank information, the ministry added.
There have been cases of people paying their rent in full online, or a down payment to “reserve” an apartment only to find out that the landlord was fake or arrive and see that the apartment has been leased to others, it said.
People should visit apartments they wish to lease in person before making payments, ask the landlord to provide proper documentation and alert their bank to halt payments if in doubt, the ministry said, urging people to seek a reputable leasing agency.
The ministry also urged those studying overseas to consider joining or participating in events organized by overseas Taiwanese student groups, which could share their experiences or give them advice or suggestions on how to handle things during their stay abroad.
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