Taiwan online fraud reporting platform confirms over 180,000 cases

台灣網路詐騙通報查詢網已確認超過18萬件案件

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Digital Affairs said that since launching its online fraud reporting and inquiry platform in October 2024, 345,731 reports have been submitted, with 181,978 confirmed as scams.

Digital Minister Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) said around 34,400 people have used the platform. On average, more than 10,000 scam messages or ads are taken down monthly. The platform also integrates reporting channels for suspicious social media scam messages, allowing the public to search and report suspected online fraud, per CNA.

Since December 2023, the ministry has implemented an AI-powered system to combat online fraud by scanning over 10,000 online advertisements and e-commerce listings daily. The system detects more than 1,000 suspicious cases each day and automatically reports them to the National Communications Commission, the National Police Agency, and the Taiwan Network Information Center for further enforcement or anti-fraud measures.

From October 2024 to September, the ministry's use of the AI-driven system and reporting platform led to a significant decline in investment scam ads, dropping from 77,400 cases per week to 837. Meanwhile, the number of celebrity impersonation scam ads fell from around 38,000 per week to 1,685.

In September, Taiwan reported 14,109 fraud cases, with total losses exceeding NT$6.71 billion (US$207 million). Online scams topped the list with 3,625 cases, followed by investment scams with 1,769 cases and romance scams with 1,038 cases. The highest number of cases was reported in Taichung, Hsinchu County, and Taoyuan.

In addition, many domestic banks, including Bank SinoPac, Taiwan Business Bank, and CTBC Bank, have implemented enhanced identity verification, big data analysis, and AI-powered systems to identify suspicious accounts and unusual money flows. Some have also cooperated with the district prosecutors’ office or the Criminal Investigation Bureau to investigate fake accounts and block illegal financial transactions.

The Financial Supervisory Commission added that suspicious bank accounts in Taiwan rose from 66,000 in 2022 to 150,000 last year, but dropped to under 1,000 by June. The agency attributed the significant decline to the effectiveness of AI-powered systems in detecting and filtering suspicious activity.