Online Seller Scammed Out of NT$34,000 for Beyblades, Yonghe Police Arrest 3 Suspects

(Central News Agency reporter Cao Yayan, New Taipei, July 7) Recently, there have been frequent reports of Beyblade scams. A man in Yonghe, New Taipei, was selling Beyblades online. Fake buyers, citing reasons such as account verification failure, tricked the seller into operating his online banking and providing verification codes, ultimately defrauding him of NT$34,000. Upon receiving the report, the police immediately tracked down and arrested three suspects.

The Yonghe Precinct of the New Taipei City Police Department stated today that in June of this year, Mr. Hong was selling Beyblades on the social media platform Instagram. A netizen claiming to be a buyer contacted him, expressing interest in purchasing the rare model "Blue Sky Pegasus" and stating that they would arrange for a familiar courier service to pick it up, with the buyer covering the shipping costs.

Subsequently, the other party provided communication account details for a "courier customer service" and a "specialist," requesting Mr. Hong to add them. They then used reasons such as "payment collection service not yet activated" and "account verification failed" to instruct Mr. Hong to operate his online banking and scan a QR code for verification.

Following the instructions, Mr. Hong first transferred NT$15,000. Later, after providing his bank account's QR code, the scammers withdrew another NT$19,000, resulting in a total loss of NT$34,000. Realizing he had been scammed, he reported the incident to the police.

Upon receiving the report, the Yonghe Precinct immediately formed a special task force to investigate. On June 17th, they executed search and arrest warrants and apprehended a juvenile suspect in the south. They continued to trace the origins of the crime and, on June 28th, apprehended another suspect, Mr. Chen. Additionally, they interrogated an already detained suspect, Mr. Li. A total of three individuals were apprehended. The case has been transferred to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office for investigation on charges of fraud.

The Yonghe Precinct reminds the public that online transactions should be conducted through legitimate e-commerce platforms or official logistics mechanisms. If a buyer requests to add you on private LINE or other messaging apps to handle orders, and asks you to operate your online banking, provide OTP verification codes, QR code payment information, or requests remittances for reasons such as "real-name authentication," "unblocking accounts," or "account verification," these are common scam tactics. If you have any doubts, please call the 165 anti-fraud hotline or 110 for verification. (Editor: Zhang Mingkun) 1150707

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