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S'porean man, 22, arrested in Taiwan for alleged role in scam syndicate when collecting S$50,000 from victim
The police said he was short of money.
November 20, 2024, 06:04 PM
A 22-year-old Singaporean man was arrested in Taiwan for his suspected involvement in a scam syndicate, the Yilan County Government Police Bureau revealed.
On Nov. 19, Taiwan authorities made public the details of the case, stating that they had busted a scam syndicate.
The Singaporean, surnamed Ye, reportedly entered Taiwan for a social visit, but became a "rider" for the syndicate.
A "rider" is the equivalent of a "runner", as the man was tasked with collecting money in person from the victims, according to Shin Min Daily News.
The Singaporean was apparently caught red-handed by the police while collecting money from a woman.
Photo via Yilan County Government Police Bureau.
Events leading up to investigations
A 46-year-old local woman was browsing investment ads on Facebook and allegedly responded to one.
She was then added to a chat group on the Line messaging app.
The scam syndicate reportedly made use of "guaranteed profits" pitches to get victims to hand over millions of New Taiwan (NT) dollars.
The female victim allegedly handed over NT$1.22 million (S$50,272) on three occasions, but did not receive any returns.
She then lodged a police report.
After receiving the report, the Taiwan police formed a task force.
The Singaporean man allegedly became implicated as he was the designated rider who was to collect the money from the victim in person.
Items seized
Following the arrest, a pink Singapore identity card, a fake contract, work permit, receipt and about NT$1 million (S$41,247) in cash were seized.
Photo via Yilan County Government Police Bureau.
Photo via Yilan County Government Police Bureau.
The police further revealed that the Singaporean man is Chinese and speaks fluent Mandarin, which was why it did not raise alarms when the victim was approached for investment opportunities.
The suspect did not have a regular job, the police said, and was apparently short of money.
He had gone to Taiwan as a tourist, but was allegedly recruited by a Taiwanese fraud group and ended up joining the syndicate.
All photos via Yilan County Government Police Bureau
