Vietnamese Worker in Taiwan Indicted for Alleged Role as Fraud Group Courier

Taichung City, Taiwan (July 9, 2026)— A Vietnamese migrant worker in Taichung has been indicted for allegedly joining a fraud syndicate and serving as a “bank account collection courier” after ending his employment contract with his previous employer.

The suspect, identified by his surname Pan, was originally allowed a 60-day period to find a new employer after terminating his work contract. However, investigators said he allegedly accepted an offer from a fraud group and became involved in illegal activities by collecting financial cards linked to fraudulent bank accounts.

According to the Taichung City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division, the syndicate operated through a fake loan scam. Members allegedly deceived victims into handing over their ATM cards by promising loan assistance. Victims were instructed to send the cards in packages to designated convenience stores, where couriers would collect them and deliver them through multiple layers to avoid detection by authorities.

Police previously arrested two suspected first-level couriers, surnamed Chen and Lo, which led investigators to uncover more details about the group’s operations.

After receiving intelligence, police officers monitored a remote cemetery area in Changhua County where they suspected the fraud group was using as a drop-off location. Investigators later spotted the 36-year-old Vietnamese worker retrieving a package and quickly leaving the area by car.

Police followed the suspect and intercepted him while he was stopped at a traffic light. Two police vehicles surrounded his car, but the suspect initially refused to open the door. Officers then broke the vehicle window with an axe and successfully subdued him.

During the operation, authorities seized 12 ATM cards, five convenience store delivery packages, two mobile phones, and more than NT$7,000 in cash as evidence.

Investigators said the suspect was a legal migrant worker in Taiwan but allegedly became involved with the fraud group after being introduced by acquaintances from his hometown. He was reportedly assigned as a second-level courier responsible for collecting bank cards and transporting them to designated locations in exchange for payment.

The case was transferred to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office, and prosecutors charged him with aggravated fraud, violations of the Organized Crime Prevention Act, and money laundering-related offenses. Authorities continue to investigate the wider network and other individuals allegedly involved in the fraud operation.