Taichung Woman Nearly Scammed After Seller Claims Account Frozen, Demands 'Certification' Fee

(CNA, Taichung, May 21, by reporter Su Mu-chun) A Taichung woman, surnamed Hsu, recently tried to buy durians online and was instructed by the seller to use the "MaiHuoBian" platform for the transaction. However, the seller then claimed her account was frozen due to incomplete certification and she was instructed to go to a post office to wire NT$30,000. A post office clerk found the situation suspicious and reported it, successfully preventing the loss with police assistance. The Third Precinct of the Taichung City Police Department stated today that officers from the Jiankang Police Station were on patrol around 4 PM on a recent afternoon when they received a report from a local post office about a citizen potentially facing a scam, requesting assistance. Upon arrival, police learned that the 58-year-old woman, Ms. Hsu, had recently purchased durians online. Following the seller's instructions, she used a convenience store's "MaiHuoBian" platform. Unexpectedly, the seller claimed that because her account had not completed an "upgrade certification," the seller's funds were frozen for 180 days. The seller demanded her immediate cooperation, threatening to report her to the police otherwise. As Ms. Hsu had lost her ATM card, she went to the post office to get a replacement, preparing to withdraw NT$30,000 to wire for the so-called "certification" process. While there, she complained to a clerk about her shopping problem. The clerk heard keywords like "funds frozen" and immediately notified the police for assistance. After Ms. Hsu explained the transaction process to the officers, the police confirmed it was a common "fake seller, fake customer service" scam. They provided examples of similar cases, which brought Ms. Hsu a sense of relief and led her to abandon the withdrawal. She thanked the clerk and the officers for their timely intervention. (Editor: Li Heng-shan) 1150521