CAUTION:Scammers often ask victims to make payments through game credits, making it difficult for authorities to trace and recover their stolen money, the police saidBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNA請繼續往下閱讀...More than 350 students fell victim to sex-service scams over summer vacation, with one college student losing NT$300,000, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said yesterday, urging people who encounter such scams or coercion to report them.Arranging or soliciting paid sexual encounters, including transactions disguised as casual meetings, is illegal, the bureau said in a news release yesterday, adding that meetings arranged through online platforms have become increasingly more common.People caught engaging in such activities can face detention or fines under the Social Order Maintenance Act （社會秩序維護法）, while also being exposed to potential fraud and personal safety risks, the bureau said.Sex scams have consistently ranked among the top five scams on the 165 Anti-Fraud Dashboard, it said.Its data showed that 356 students fell victim to such scams during summer vacation, losing from NT$2,000 to NT$300,000, the bureau said.One 21-year-old college student from southern Taiwan started chatting with a woman who posted on the social media platform Threads saying that she was a third-year student hoping to connect with other students.The woman then claimed her family had fallen on hard times and offered part-time escort services, with the two agreeing on NT$3,000 for an encounter.She then told the student to buy NT$3,000 in game credits at a nearby convenience store to avoid a cash transaction, before demanding another NT$5,000 in credits and a photo of his ID to prove he was not an undercover police officerThe student provided the card numbers, passwords and a photo of his ID, but the woman then demanded more than NT$10,000 in game credits as “dating gifts” and a “meeting fee.”When he hesitated, a man claiming to be a gang member demanded another NT$50,000 and threatened him and his family, claiming his identity verification had failed.The student borrowed money from his family, but after handing over a total of NT$300,000 and unable to pay more, he reported the case to police and realized he had been scammed.These scammers use social media and adult Web sites to offer fake escort services, the bureau said.After gaining victims’ trust, they demand game credits for supposed deposits or security fees, then redeem the credits using the card numbers and passwords, it said.Once game card numbers and passwords are given to scammers, the credits can be transferred to third-party accounts or used in online transactions, making the funds difficult for police to trace and victims to recover, the bureau said.Scammers also exploit victims’ eagerness to complete the deal and reluctance to tell others, repeatedly pressuring them to buy more credits, it added.The bureau urged people who encounter scams or coercion while meeting people online to call 110 or 165 to report it to police.新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
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