TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A fraud ring and human trafficking operation in southern Taiwan was busted in October after a victim escaped her captors and alerted authorities, it was reported on Friday (Nov. 11).
The 30-year-old woman and former real estate agent was lured by an online job posting for a “customer service agent” on Facebook offering NT$40,000 per month. After meeting for an “interview” at a motel on Oct. 9, she was held against her will for eight days before she escaped, reports LTN.
Two men, a 28-year-old surnamed Hu (胡) and a 22-year-old surnamed Li (李), were arrested at the time for their part in the operation. However, police have since detained others connected with the case.
Three other victims were also rescued by police after the fraud ring was uncovered. However, it is unclear if they were all being kept at the same location.
After trapping their victims, members of the fraud ring force their victims to hand over banking cards and account books, which are used to illegally wire money to accounts controlled by the gang.
The woman at first refused to cooperate, but she told officers that she saw other victims beaten badly by their captors, which compelled her to give them the information. After eight days she was able to persuade her captors to release her with the promise that she would not report them to police, reported LTN.
Hu and Li have been transferred to Tainan District Prosecutor’s Office for charges of fraud, intimidation, and holding others against their will, reports UDN.
The news from Tainan comes after a major fraud ring was busted in northern Taiwan in early November. On Nov. 1, an operation in Tamsui was busted in which gangsters defrauded and imprisoned 26 victims.
Following on leads from the Tamsui case, officers rescued 36 more victims being held captive in Taoyuan on Nov. 3.
In response to questions about the earlier case in Tainan, the Police Chief of Tainan’s Sixth Precinct Hsu Min-neng (許敏能) said that recently many gangs have been using the same techniques to target victims.
They attract talented individuals online with promises of “high salaries, offers of free food and accommodation,” all with the intent of luring victims into a trap to extort money. Hsu said people must be vigilant when reviewing job postings online, per UDN.
