Taichung: The Taichung District Prosecutors Office recently indicted 18 individuals believed to be part of a fraud ring that impersonated Chinese security officers to defraud Hong Kongers, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Wednesday. The individuals were indicted on charges of fraud, money laundering, and organized crime, the CIB said in a statement.

According to Focus Taiwan, the bureau received reports of a scam ring that tricked victims into transferring money by falsely claiming their personal information had been stolen and used in criminal activities, necessitating asset monitoring. After an investigation, the CIB found that the scam ring was led by a man in his 30s surnamed Huang. Huang instructed members to pose as Chinese prosecutors or police officers, spoof phone numbers to appear as those of police stations in China, and use AI-generated video calls to defraud victims before laundering the proceeds through cryptocurrency.

The bureau did not clarify whether the fraud ring contacted Hong Kongers living in Taiwan or Hong Kong, but local media reported they targeted individuals residing in Hong Kong. In June 2025, a task force commanded by the Taichung District Prosecutors Office and formed by police and CIB officers raided two call centers of the fraud ring and arrested 17 individuals. These included first-line, second-line, and third-line scammers, as well as other key figures.

Evidence, including cell phones, computers, fake uniforms, fake badges, and fake security slogans, was seized. After continuous tracking, the task force arrested Huang in early December 2025, according to the CIB. The operation scammed nearly 100 Hong Kongers since its establishment in 2025, with illegal gains totaling NT$30 million (US$952,642), the bureau reported.