TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A male college student surnamed Huang (黃) has been sentenced to 15 days in jail for pretending to be a Ministry of Justice criminal investigator while giving a “career day” speech at his alma mater.
His initial speech occurred on May 1, 2023, at his junior high school in Changhua. A teacher’s initial suspicion was allayed by a forged criminal investigator certificate and his assertion of being a member of the "041 Investigation Task Force" per SETN.
He was invited to return to his former school again on May 24, 2023, to make another presentation to 10 different classes. This time, he took the charade a step further, wearing a bulletproof vest he purchased online, along with a baton, handcuffs, and a toy BB gun.
Huang delivered a presentation to students and discussed the training required to become a criminal investigator and the salary. Several teachers became suspicious that Huang would be entrusted with such duties at the age of 20 and his presentation differed from the general duties of criminal investigators.
Huang was later reported to the Education Department, which later called the police to inquire about the student’s credentials as a criminal investigator
Later, Changhua District Court found he had forged documents, impersonated a civil servant, and addressed students in a way that was detrimental to criminal investigators. Teachers at Huang’s alma mater made up for their blunder by inviting a real criminal investigator to appear before students. This time, the topic discussed was anti-fraud measures, and how to be on the lookout for financial scams.
Changhua District Court decided that Huang's crime was not a serious infringement of public authority and was mainly done to educate students. Furthermore, Huang's cooperation with investigators and his general financial state led to a fine of NT$100,000 (US$3,180) and a sentence of 15 days commutable to a fine at a rate of NT$1,000 (US$32) a day.
