🚨 Urgent Warning: Don't incur criminal charges or huge debts in Taiwan by 'lending out your bank account'!

When you first arrive in Taiwan, or when looking for a job or making friends, many of us might fall into the trap of scam groups due to easily trusting others, being too polite to refuse, or wanting to earn some extra cash. Recently, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office issued a stern warning: as long as you lend or sell your bank account to others, even if you are also a victim, you will still become a 'criminal accomplice'! Here is crucial information you must know to protect yourself and your family in Taiwan. ⚠️ 1. Have you encountered these temptations? (Common scam tactics) Scam groups are very cunning and often exploit people's needs for jobs or relationships to trick them into giving up their accounts: 🕵️‍♂️ 'Easy high salary' / Job interviews: 'The company needs to borrow your account for tax evasion/system testing, and will pay you an account rental fee every month.' 🤝 Request from an online friend: 'My account has a problem, can I borrow your account to receive a sum of money? I'll give you a handling fee.' ❤️ Online romance: 'Darling, I'm investing in cryptocurrency, but it's inconvenient to use my own account. Can I borrow yours for a bit?' 👉 The truth: The money transferred into your account is actually the hard-earned money of other scam victims! Criminals use your account as a 'money laundering transfer station' to evade police investigation. 🛑 2. The terrible consequences you will face (You can't get away with just saying 'I didn't know') Many people cry in court: 'I was also scammed, I didn't know they were a scam group!' But Taiwan's courts usually do not accept this excuse. As long as you hand over your ATM card, passbook, and password to a stranger, the law will consider you to be 'aiding and abetting a crime'. You will face the following consequences: ⚖️ Criminal liability (facing imprisonment and heavy penalties): Accomplice to fraud: Up to 7 years imprisonment. Violation of the latest 'Money Laundering Control Act': Even if no actual damage has occurred, simply 'giving your account to others' is already illegal! If you sell your account to receive money, or hand over 3 or more accounts, you can be sentenced up to 3 years imprisonment and fined up to NT$1 million. 💸 Civil liability (paying off the scammers' debts): The main perpetrators of fraud usually abscond with the money long before they are caught. The police can only find you, the account holder. You will be jointly liable to compensate the victim for the full amount they were scammed (usually hundreds of thousands to millions of New Taiwan Dollars)! 🥶 Complete account freeze (becoming a 'warning account'): As soon as a victim reports the crime, the bank will list you as a 'warning account'. All your bank accounts in Taiwan will be frozen. You cannot withdraw money, transfer money, or receive your company salary. Your life and work in Taiwan will come to a complete standstill, and it is very difficult to apply for the removal of the warning status, requiring a long period of time. 💡 3. Golden rules to protect yourself As a new resident living in Taiwan, please remember the following points: Absolutely do not hand over your account: No matter who the other party is or how legitimate their reason seems, never rent, lend, or sell your passbook, ATM card, password, or online banking account to anyone. Legitimate companies do not keep your ATM card: When looking for a job, reputable companies will only ask for a 'copy of the front of your passbook' to issue your salary after you are 'hired'. They will never ask for your original ATM card or password during the interview stage. Handle abnormalities immediately: If you have accidentally lent out your account, or notice any unusual transactions, immediately call the bank to freeze your account, and go to the nearest police station to report the incident. Proactively explain the situation and keep relevant communication records as evidence. If in doubt, call 165 first: If you encounter any suspicious situation, before taking any action, please call the 165 Anti-Fraud Consultation Hotline (interpreters can be sought) for free consultation and to protect yourself! 📌 Don't let a moment of soft-heartedness or small immediate gains ruin your and your family's future in Taiwan. Please share this article with your friends and new resident communities, let's prevent scams together! (Reference source: Taiwan High Prosecutors Office)