- Contact: Chunan Precinct, Miaoli County Police Bureau
When police officers Chen Bo-hong and Zhou Bai-yin, both from Chunan Precinct, Miaoli County Police Bureau, were patrolling at around noon at the end of August, they received a case report from the precinct officer on duty stating that there was a large money transfer occurring at Shin Kong Bank. The bank clerks considered it suspicious and reported it to the police for investigation.
The two police officers rushed to the bank to investigate and discovered an elderly man attempting to deposit HKD$60,000 (about NT$240,000). When the clerk asked the customer the reason for the remittance, he replied that it was a deposit payment for an antique auction. The bank clerks were suspicious that it could be a fraud and reported it to the police for investigation. The 60-year-old man, whose last name was Chen, claimed that he possessed a black kiln antique. Chen had previously met a self-proclaimed Sotheby's antique auctioneer online who had offered his services to sell the antique kiln on auction. Chen then contacted the person via Line and shortly after Chen had given his consent, the person claimed that the antique had been successfully sold for HKD$2.8 million. To earn Chen’s trust, the person sent a copy of the remittance and asked for a “retention payment” of HKD$60,000 before he could release the auction money. The police immediately recognized that this was fraud and, together with the Assistant Manager of the bank, informed Mr Chen of similar cases that had occurred in the past. Chen then realized that he had nearly become a victim of a scam.
Scammers often post online articles or place ads to attract people wanting to buy or sell antiques and works of art. They invite many people to the chat and create a fake trade for discussion, conning the victims into believing that it is a genuine deal. The scammers will then keep asking and urging the victims to pay the deposit and taxes. Not until the victims lose large amounts of money do they realize that they have been scammed. The police would like to remind the public that if they encounter a similar situation, they should not transfer any money. To ensure the safety of their property, the public is urged to call the 165 anti-fraud hotline or the 110 police hotline for any inquiries