The incident occurred on the evening of October 31. A 24-year-old female research student from Singapore, traveling alone in Tainan, Taiwan, encountered a scam while meeting an online acquaintance known as “Chen Chen.” Instead of meeting in person, she was threatened to purchase 30,000 New Taiwan Dollars (S$1261) worth of gaming credits.
According to various Taiwanese media reports, local authorities released footage from the police body camera showing the distress of the woman exclaiming, “I’m very scared.” Worried that the scammer might still find her due to sharing her identification, she hesitated to block the scammer. However, after reassuring words from the police and an investigation revealing that the person wasn’t in Tainan, she felt more at ease.
The incident unfolded when the Singaporean woman, traveling alone, met the male online acquaintance through a dating app. They arranged to meet at a convenience store, where the man, claiming to be a hotel male model, excused himself at the last moment, sending a gruesome video via LINE to intimidate her into buying the gaming credits.
After the police explained the scam, warning her not to trust the scammer, she realized she was being deceived. She later admitted to the police that she felt a connection with the online acquaintance, which made her trust the individual. Grateful for the police’s help, she was escorted back to her accommodation in the city center.
Initially reluctant and skeptical of the Taiwanese authorities due to misinformation from friends about the police being associated with the underworld, she hesitated to contact the police. However, after the officers continually reassured her, she eventually let her guard down.
Fortunately, the alertness of the convenience store clerk, noticing her distress, led to a timely alert, safeguarding her travel expenses. The deputy chief of the Tainan Second Police Station, Lee Zhongxian, stated that the officers swiftly identified the deceptive nature of the conversation and comforted the woman’s emotions.
The Tainan Police divulged that the individual posing as a hotel male model had requested a pre-meeting “fee” through an agent. Once the police informed the woman about this being a common scam tactic, cautioning her not to trust the individual’s demands, she realized the gravity of the situation.
She confided to the police that while traveling alone in Taiwan, she encountered the male acquaintance online, which initially felt like a budding romantic connection. However, she found herself a victim of a fraudulent scheme instead of finding a genuine connection.
After the incident, the officers safely escorted her back to her lodging. Expressing deep gratitude for the assistance provided by the Taiwanese police, she acknowledged her initial reluctance to trust them, influenced by misleading information.
The timely intervention of the convenience store staff, followed by the prompt police response, ensured that the woman was safeguarded from further monetary loss during her trip.
This episode underscores the necessity of caution when interacting with strangers online and the significance of promptly seeking help or reporting to authorities if one suspects potential threats or scams.