TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) recently cracked down on a fraud and money laundering ring that impersonated police officers and prosecutors to deceive victims, per CNA.
The investigation revealed that the criminal group consisted of members from three different criminal organizations and had laundered over NT$130 million (UD$4.1 million). Following police questioning, 21 individuals involved in the scheme were transferred to the prosecutor's office to face charges of fraud and other related crimes.
This group impersonated police officers and prosecutors, falsely claiming that the victims were involved in serious criminal cases and had to surrender their assets under court supervision. They demanded that the victims make payments within a certain timeframe and sent forged government documents to gain the victims' trust.
The CIB's sixth investigation division announced on Tuesday (Sept. 19) that they had identified a 32-year-old man surnamed Zeng (曾) as a member of the fraud and money laundering ring. Investigators brought Zeng and 21 others in for questioning, seized computers, financial cards, mobile phones, cryptocurrency trading contracts, account books, and real estate valued at over tens of millions in NT dollars, and imported sedans as evidence.
During negotiations, the fraudsters repeatedly intimidated victims by convincing them they were implicated in serious crimes and had to cooperate with an investigation. They were misled by the fraudsters to evade bank inquiries, so they could not seek outside help.
This case was jointly investigated by the CIB, Taichung City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division's Third Precinct, Taipei City Government Police Department's Beitou Precinct, Pingtung County Police Department's Ligang Precinct, and Hsinchu County Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division. The investigation took place from March to August this year, with raids conducted at the group's locations in Taipei City, Taichung City, and Hsinchu County.
It was discovered that the group gathered members from various criminal organizations, including the Bamboo Union, Four Seas Gang, and the Hsinchu chapter of the Windy Flying Sand Gang (風飛沙幫). They used shell companies, financial accounts, and cryptocurrency to conceal money flows for money laundering purposes.
Preliminary investigations have identified five victims and a total defrauded amount exceeding NT$46.57 million, with money laundering exceeding NT$138 million. One victim was deceived into paying over NT$19 million.
Following police questioning, all suspects involved in the case have been transferred to the Taichung District Prosecutor's Office to face charges of fraud, money laundering under the Money Laundering Control Act, and violations of the Organized Crime Prevention Act.
