Kaohsiung authorities on Monday arrested eight employees at three state-owned enterprises suspected of cheating in recruitment examinations as part of an investigation into exam-related fraud involving 101 people, the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office said Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off received last year, prosecutors in Kaohsiung and anti-corruption authorities in southern Taiwan launched an investigation in October 2021 into a hi-tech examination fraud ring that allegedly helped people cheat in exams and secure jobs, initially focusing on three top state enterprises.
Investigators collected evidence that shows 101 people might have used electronic devices to pass recruitment examinations for jobs at numerous state enterprises over the past five years.
However, after a notice was issued indicating investigators had uncovered evidence of cheating in state enterprise examinations and calling on those involved to come forward, only 20 of the 101 suspects surrendered to law enforcement authorities and admitted their guilt, prosecutors said.
On Monday, prosecutors and anti-corruption officials raided oil refiner CPC Corp., Taiwan (CPC), energy utility Taiwan Power Company (Taipower), and China Steel Corp. (CSC) and arrested eight individuals. All subsequently admitted to gaining their positions by cheating in exams, including five at CPC, two at Taipower, and one at CSC, according to the prosecutors office.
According to investigators, the alleged leader of the fraud ring, a man surnamed Wu (吳), 40, helped a man surnamed Kuo (郭) obtain a job at Taipower in 2016.
Kuo was later enlisted to recruit more people willing to pay for help passing state enterprise recruitment exams. He was tasked with delivering and recycling the electronic devices used to cheat, checking examination rooms, and collecting payments.
In 2018, Wu allegedly helped a man surnamed Lin (林) cheat in an exam to secure a job at CSC and recruited Lin and his wife to join the group.
According to prosecutors, the ring charged a fee of NT$20,000 to each exam taker who used their service, to purchase the equipment needed to cheat, including mobile phones, earphones, and signal amplifiers. A further payment of NT$1.2 million to NT$1.5 million was then made by those who passed the exam.
The investigation has since determined that the group helped individuals cheat in exams for jobs at a minimum of 10 state enterprises since 2016, with at least 101 successfully obtaining jobs.
According to an initial estimate, the group’s exam fraud operation made up to NT$100 million, according to prosecutors.
Five people, including Wu, were prosecuted for fraud and other crimes in September this year, they added.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel