Fraud Falsely Claiming to be Tibetan Temple Staff Offering Religious Ceremonies Prevented in Taitung
A 60-year-old woman in Taitung was almost scammed by someone online claiming to be from a Tibetan temple offering to hold a religious ceremony to improve her luck. Police intervention successfully prevented the money transfer.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 18:24
- 🔍 Collected: April 9, 2026 at 19:00 (36 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 10:27 (255h 27m after Collected)
The Guanshan Precinct of the Taitung County Police Bureau issued a press release stating that around 9 AM today, the Chishang Joint Police Station received a fraud consultation case. A 60-year-old woman surnamed Chang mistakenly believed the claims of someone online claiming to be from a Tibetan temple. Fortunately, she noticed something was wrong before transferring the money and went to the police station for consultation, successfully avoiding property loss.
Tsai Hsin-yu, Chief of the Chishang Joint Police Station, said that after Chang browsed religion-related advertisements on a social platform recently, she was actively contacted by an unknown account. The person continuously sent information about Buddhist practices and ceremonies via a messaging app, claiming to be from a "certain temple in Tibet" to create a professional and mysterious image, thereby gradually gaining her trust.
The scammer used a caring tone, saying things like, "No matter what happens, our Buddha and Bodhisattvas will protect you," lowering Chang's guard. Subsequently, the scammer offered to hold a "transcendence ceremony" on her behalf, claiming it would pray for blessings, avert disasters, and improve her luck, but demanded a fee to lure the victim into transferring money.
When the scammer asked for the money transfer, Chang was alarmed by the request to keep it a secret and the suspicious content. She immediately became alert, did not follow the instructions to transfer the funds, and went to the Chishang Joint Police Station for advice. After receiving the case, police officers helped review the conversation logs, determined it to be a typical fraud tactic exploiting religion, and formally logged it as a 165 anti-fraud consultation case, reminding her of future preventive measures.
The Guanshan Police Precinct stated that this type of scam often borrows the name of religion and uses rhetoric of care and enlightenment to gain trust, ultimately inducing money transfers. It is one of the common fraud tactics seen in recent years. (Editor: Wu Su-jou) 1150409
Tsai Hsin-yu, Chief of the Chishang Joint Police Station, said that after Chang browsed religion-related advertisements on a social platform recently, she was actively contacted by an unknown account. The person continuously sent information about Buddhist practices and ceremonies via a messaging app, claiming to be from a "certain temple in Tibet" to create a professional and mysterious image, thereby gradually gaining her trust.
The scammer used a caring tone, saying things like, "No matter what happens, our Buddha and Bodhisattvas will protect you," lowering Chang's guard. Subsequently, the scammer offered to hold a "transcendence ceremony" on her behalf, claiming it would pray for blessings, avert disasters, and improve her luck, but demanded a fee to lure the victim into transferring money.
When the scammer asked for the money transfer, Chang was alarmed by the request to keep it a secret and the suspicious content. She immediately became alert, did not follow the instructions to transfer the funds, and went to the Chishang Joint Police Station for advice. After receiving the case, police officers helped review the conversation logs, determined it to be a typical fraud tactic exploiting religion, and formally logged it as a 165 anti-fraud consultation case, reminding her of future preventive measures.
The Guanshan Police Precinct stated that this type of scam often borrows the name of religion and uses rhetoric of care and enlightenment to gain trust, ultimately inducing money transfers. It is one of the common fraud tactics seen in recent years. (Editor: Wu Su-jou) 1150409