A family tragedy shocked Fengyuan District in Taichung City, Taiwan, when five members—including the Wang couple and their three adult children—were scammed while investing in gold and ended up taking their own lives. Gao Dacheng, Director of the Forensic Medicine Department at Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, stated that such scams skillfully exploit the desire of low-wage earners to make money in an era of inflation, first offering small rewards, then luring victims to invest large sums with tempting promises like 'NT$100,000 monthly income'. Eventually, the scammers disappear with the money, leaving victims helpless—an extremely vicious tactic.
According to the United Daily News on the 5th, police received a report on the evening of the 2nd that the Wang family's youngest son hadn’t shown up for work in two days and had confided that his family’s debt was crushing him. Police, together with local borough chief Hong Yuanlong and a locksmith, opened the door and found all five members dead inside: the 62-year-old owner Wang, his 63-year-old wife, their 35-year-old eldest daughter, 34-year-old second daughter, and 28-year-old younger son. Charcoal basins and four letters (from all except Mr. Wang) were also found at the scene.
It is understood that the eldest daughter was introduced by a female classmate surnamed Zhang to purchase NT$150,000 (around MYR21,900) worth of gold using a credit card, promising a commission of NT$3,000 (about MYR437). Later, the Wang family invested even more, accumulating large credit card debt but never receiving the commissions. Instead, they became caught up in the scam and were accused of contract violations, forcing them to mortgage their house to borrow from underground lenders and facing debt collection. In the end, they had nowhere to turn. The mother's final desperate words to a friend were reportedly, 'Then it's all over for us.'
● 'It Was Your Choice to Invest'
Gao Dacheng surmised that all five family members were adults with legitimate jobs. Why did being scammed in a gold investment drive them to such extremes? The Wangs may have realized it was a scam and consulted others, but the responses likely were, 'It was your choice to invest,' making it difficult to hold the other party accountable for fraud. The scammers may have also encouraged them to invest more, with ever-increasing loans, ultimately bankrupting the family.
Gao cited another case he encountered: An office worker was scammed by being promised a monthly interest of NT$10,000 on a NT$1 million investment. After investing, the office worker received NT$60,000 in interest over six months. Later persuaded to invest another NT$10 million for a monthly yield of NT$110,000, the scammer then disappeared without a trace.
● Wanting to 'Make Money' but Lacking Opportunities
Gao said the most frightening aspect of these scams is that even after being swindled out of everything, victims still find it difficult to hold anyone accountable as they indeed consented to the investment. This exposes the mentality of ordinary people in times of inflation, especially those with low incomes: they desperately want to 'make money' but lack investment opportunities. Once they learn of an investment opportunity, they flock to it, only to fall into a trap.
● 'Beautician Classmate' Key Suspect in Fraud
Police cracked the eldest daughter's phone and identified key connections: her beautician classmate surnamed Zhang and another woman surnamed Li, who handled the group gold purchase. On the night of the 4th, Zhang was brought in for questioning on fraud charges and was later placed under residential restriction by the prosecution.
Councilor Hsieh Chih-chung stated that the beautician classmate lured the Wang family into buying gold with promises of high returns, then turned around and accused the family of contract violations, saddling them with NT$5 million in debt.
With all five Wangs deceased, there are no victim statements. The remaining smartphone chat records provide limited evidentiary value, making it difficult for prosecutors and police to clarify if fraud occurred or if other creditors are involved at this stage.
According to the United Daily News on the 5th, police received a report on the evening of the 2nd that the Wang family's youngest son hadn’t shown up for work in two days and had confided that his family’s debt was crushing him. Police, together with local borough chief Hong Yuanlong and a locksmith, opened the door and found all five members dead inside: the 62-year-old owner Wang, his 63-year-old wife, their 35-year-old eldest daughter, 34-year-old second daughter, and 28-year-old younger son. Charcoal basins and four letters (from all except Mr. Wang) were also found at the scene.
It is understood that the eldest daughter was introduced by a female classmate surnamed Zhang to purchase NT$150,000 (around MYR21,900) worth of gold using a credit card, promising a commission of NT$3,000 (about MYR437). Later, the Wang family invested even more, accumulating large credit card debt but never receiving the commissions. Instead, they became caught up in the scam and were accused of contract violations, forcing them to mortgage their house to borrow from underground lenders and facing debt collection. In the end, they had nowhere to turn. The mother's final desperate words to a friend were reportedly, 'Then it's all over for us.'
● 'It Was Your Choice to Invest'
Gao Dacheng surmised that all five family members were adults with legitimate jobs. Why did being scammed in a gold investment drive them to such extremes? The Wangs may have realized it was a scam and consulted others, but the responses likely were, 'It was your choice to invest,' making it difficult to hold the other party accountable for fraud. The scammers may have also encouraged them to invest more, with ever-increasing loans, ultimately bankrupting the family.
Gao cited another case he encountered: An office worker was scammed by being promised a monthly interest of NT$10,000 on a NT$1 million investment. After investing, the office worker received NT$60,000 in interest over six months. Later persuaded to invest another NT$10 million for a monthly yield of NT$110,000, the scammer then disappeared without a trace.
● Wanting to 'Make Money' but Lacking Opportunities
Gao said the most frightening aspect of these scams is that even after being swindled out of everything, victims still find it difficult to hold anyone accountable as they indeed consented to the investment. This exposes the mentality of ordinary people in times of inflation, especially those with low incomes: they desperately want to 'make money' but lack investment opportunities. Once they learn of an investment opportunity, they flock to it, only to fall into a trap.
● 'Beautician Classmate' Key Suspect in Fraud
Police cracked the eldest daughter's phone and identified key connections: her beautician classmate surnamed Zhang and another woman surnamed Li, who handled the group gold purchase. On the night of the 4th, Zhang was brought in for questioning on fraud charges and was later placed under residential restriction by the prosecution.
Councilor Hsieh Chih-chung stated that the beautician classmate lured the Wang family into buying gold with promises of high returns, then turned around and accused the family of contract violations, saddling them with NT$5 million in debt.
With all five Wangs deceased, there are no victim statements. The remaining smartphone chat records provide limited evidentiary value, making it difficult for prosecutors and police to clarify if fraud occurred or if other creditors are involved at this stage.