A single elderly man in his seventies in Taiwan recently planned to travel to Vietnam to meet someone for friendship and potential marriage. He prepared to withdraw NT$500,000 (around MYR 64,000) as related expenses. Fortunately, bank staff and police thwarted this suspected case of transnational romance fraud, protecting the elderly man's significant savings.
According to a United Daily News report on the 15th, the incident took place in Hemei Township, Changhua. Local police on patrol received a notification from the staff and director of the Tucu Branch of the Hemei Township Farmers’ Association. They reported that a customer intended to withdraw a large sum at the counter, and their conversation raised suspicions of fraud, requesting police assistance at the scene. Upon arrival, police confirmed the person making the withdrawal was a man surnamed Chen. He stated that, through an introduction by a friend surnamed Xin, he could travel to Vietnam to engage in a relationship with a woman and possibly even get married, which prompted his need to urgently withdraw NT$500,000 and plan for subsequent overseas travel and socializing.
However, when officers further inquired about Xin's background, Mr. Chen's story repeatedly changed and he contradicted himself on details, raising further suspicions. The officers then contacted his eldest son to verify the information, and the son indicated that the ‘Xin’ mentioned by his father had passed away many years ago. The narrative clearly did not match reality.
The police then notified Chen’s daughter-in-law to come and show support and patiently explained common fraud tactics. However, the elderly Mr. Chen initially insisted it was just normal socializing and was evasive about the real purpose of the withdrawal. After much persuasion by police and family members, Mr. Chen finally abandoned his plan to withdraw the cash and left for home accompanied by his daughter-in-law.
The police pointed out that scams often use terms like "overseas marriage" or "transnational friendship" as pretenses to request upfront payment. Citizens should remain vigilant when encountering such suspicious situations.