Hualien City Household Registration Office Urges Vigilance Against Scammers Impersonating Officials to Steal Personal Info

(Central News Agency, reporter Li Xian-feng, Hualien County, 16th) Fraud tactics are constantly evolving. The Hualien City Household Registration Office recently received multiple verification calls from the public, discovering that criminals are using the agency's name to defraud, threatening citizens' property and personal data security. They urge the public to heighten their vigilance to avoid being scammed.

The Hualien City Household Registration Office of Hualien County stated that scam rings often impersonate government agencies, financial institutions, or online shopping platforms, using phone calls, text messages, or online messages to lure people into providing personal information or making wire transfers. Recently, scam rings have even impersonated the household registration office, falsely claiming abnormalities in citizens' household data or that documents like ID cards or seal certificates were fraudulently applied for by others, requesting sensitive information such as ID numbers and household data to carry out their scams.

Zhong Wei-ting, director of the Hualien City Household Registration Office, pointed out that fraud tactics are cyclical and often reappear in specific areas after a certain period. Recently, many citizens have received similar scam calls. The caller pretends to assist in verifying whether a fraudulent application has occurred, creates a tense situation, claims to have blocked the illegal act, and then "transfers the call to the police or prosecutors" to guide citizens into giving a telephone statement, further extracting personal data, and even inducing them to operate online or financial services. The public must judge carefully and never trust instructions from unknown callers.

To prevent fraud, Wu Jun-yi, acting director of the Civil Affairs Department of the Hualien County Government, emphasized that government agencies will not ask the public to provide personal information, account passwords, or verification codes via phone or text messages, nor will they require operating an ATM or online banking for transfers. If you receive a suspicious call or message, stay calm, verify through official channels, and avoid clicking on unknown links or downloading unknown files to prevent data leaks.

In case of suspected fraud, the public can call the "165 Anti-Fraud Consultation Hotline" to verify or report to the nearest police station to protect their rights.