The Taichung City Police Department's Dajia Precinct in Taiwan announced on Wednesday (22nd) that it had busted a fake investment scam and apprehended a man who claimed to be a social media travel influencer, but was actually working as a money mule for a scam syndicate under their instructions.
According to Taiwan's Central News Agency, the Dajia Precinct stated that on the 19th, they uncovered a fake investment scam and arrested a 33-year-old Malaysian man surnamed Lin, who claimed to be a travel influencer on social media with over ten thousand followers. He would often share photos of his globe-trotting adventures on Instagram and had visited more than 20 countries.
The police said they had recently received a report from a citizen claiming to have been defrauded of a large sum of money through a fake investment scam; the scam syndicate had recently demanded another NT$300,000 in a face-to-face transaction. Upon receiving the report, the police immediately set up an ambush at the arranged location and successfully arrested Lin, the cash pickup mule.
Upon investigation, the police found that Lin was using a brand-new iPhone 17 Pro as his work phone, which contained numerous photos of his travels both inside and outside the country. Further checks revealed that this man was in fact a relatively well-known travel influencer in Malaysia, whose footprints cover more than 20 countries and who has tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, suggesting he should not be in financial difficulty.
The police revealed that Lin initially refused to speak when questioned, but after patient persuasion by the officers, he eventually opened up.
"The man confessed that he had become mired in debt due to his gambling addiction, and that his real life was far removed from the glamorous image he portrayed online. He said that he originally came to Taiwan to meet up with his girlfriend, but in order to clear his debts, he took the risk of working as a money mule for the scam syndicate, ultimately being caught by police. Now, on top of facing an uncertain legal process, he also has no idea how to come clean to his girlfriend about everything."
The Dajia Precinct urged that fraud methods are ever-changing, with scam syndicates often luring foreign nationals to Taiwan under the guise of "short-term work" or "high-paying part-time jobs" to carry out illegal cash pick up operations. They reminded locals and foreigners alike not to trust recruitment messages found online, to avoid breaking the law and ruining their future.