FRAUD:
The Criminal Investigation Bureau said the recent cases indicate a change in the strategy of criminal groups, which are more frequently recruiting Taiwanese to work overseas.

• By Chen Yen-ting, Chiu Chun-fu and Jason Pan / Reporters

Criminal groups are increasingly targeting Malaysians, whom they try to recruit with false advertisements to use in cyber scams and investment fraud schemes in Taiwan, police said.

The Chaozhou Police Station in Pingtung County alone detained three Malaysians who are being prosecuted in recent months, police said.

The Tainan City Police Department’s First Precinct said last week it had captured three suspected money collectors, two Taiwanese and a Chinese Malaysian.

Photo: Screenshot from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation Facebook page

The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said the recent cases signal a change for international criminal groups, which in the past have targeted Taiwanese by promising them well-paid jobs abroad.

It appears that such groups are now also targeting Malaysians for their scam operations in Taiwan.

“The method is similar. Criminal groups use social media and distribute attractive advertisements promising to earn good money without academic qualification requirements. Some advertisements promise all-expense paid trips abroad,” said a CIB official who spoke on condition of anonymity on Saturday.

Malaysian Chinese are good targets for criminal groups because they can speak Mandarin, they said.

When arrested and questioned by the police, some suspects said they were offered jobs so they took the opportunity, the official said.

Some suspects said they received some training before coming to Taiwan.

“They thought it was an easy money opportunity where they would only work for a few days and then go back to Malaysia,” they said. “So they agreed to work as money collectors in Taiwan.”

Malaysians can enter Taiwan without a visa for up to 30 days, so some Malaysians have been targeted by social media ads promising paid flights and accommodation, they added.

From August to this month, more than 30 Malaysians have been arrested in Taiwan for allegedly working as money collectors, the official said.

Additional reporting by Chang Jui-chen and Wang Chieh