Fraud Ring's Call Center Busted in Taitung Guesthouse; 9 Arrested

(CNA, Taitung County, May 21, reported by Lu Tai-cheng) The Taitung District Prosecutors Office directed the Criminal Investigation Bureau and police from Pingtung and Taitung to bust a fraud group's call center, arresting 9 suspects. The fraud group had set up the center in a guesthouse rented for a high price. Prosecutors urge guesthouse operators to actively screen their tenants. On May 19, Prosecutor Chang Wei-hsin of the Taitung District Prosecutors Office directed the Taitung County Police Department's Criminal Investigation Brigade, the Criminal Investigation Bureau's Eighth Investigation Corps, and the Pingtung County Police Department's Criminal Investigation Brigade to raid a guesthouse in Luye Township. They successfully subdued the fraud group members inside and seized computers and other criminal tools. The Taitung District Prosecutors Office issued a press release this afternoon stating that the fraud group members used the guesthouse as a cover to establish a telecommunications call center. After a long-term investigation, police and prosecutors saw the opportune moment and executed a search on the 19th, arresting 9 defendants, including one surnamed Kuo, and seizing relevant evidence from the call center. After questioning by the prosecutor yesterday, the 9 defendants were deemed to be under significant suspicion of their crimes and posed a risk of fleeing, destroying evidence, colluding with accomplices, and repeating the offense. The prosecutors applied to the court for their detention, successfully dismantling the call center. The Taitung District Prosecutors Office stated that Taitung, with its unique natural and cultural environment, has seen remarkable success in developing its 'slow economy' tourism industry in recent years, and the scale of lodging businesses has also been growing. It urges lodging operators to actively screen the identity of long-term guests, take an interest in their routines during their stay, and maintain vigilance against fraud. This is to prevent fraud groups from using guesthouses or hotels as cover to establish telecom call centers for illegal fraudulent activities, which would damage the pure and wholesome tourism environment of Taitung. According to local residents, the fraud group rented the entire guesthouse for NT$90,000 per month, with an initial lease period of two months.