Invoice Winning and Overdue Payment Email Scams: Digital Industry Agency Urges Not to Click Fake Links

Taipei, April 14 (CNA) — Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs' Digital Industry Agency (DIA) stated that recently, some members of the public have received emails disguised as invoice winning notifications or overdue payment notices, which have all been verified as attempts by scam groups. The DIA reminds the public that official entities typically do not send important notifications from unknown email addresses. People can also verify the authenticity through official websites or apps and should never directly click on links within emails to avoid being scammed.

The DIA recently shared a scam case where a member of the public received an email titled "Electronic Invoice Data Processing Completion Notification." The sender appeared to be a well-known company, and the email included an invoice number and winning result, indicating a 5th prize win, which the recipient initially believed to be true.

However, the same person later received an overdue payment email, stating, "Your credit payment is overdue. Failure to process will result in notification to the Joint Credit Information Center." It listed an order exceeding NT$16,000, complete with product name, shipping time, recipient address, and phone number, making it appear like a real transaction record. The email concluded with a note: "If you have any questions, please contact customer service immediately."

The DIA stated that when the public attempted to click to contact customer service, they discovered the sender's email address was not an official domain but a string of unfamiliar English characters. This raised their vigilance, and they instead used official platforms for verification, ultimately confirming there was no prize won and no such order.

The DIA pointed out that as scam tactics continuously evolve, email has recently become one of the common mediums for scams. If the public receives invoice notifications or overdue payment notices, they should verify through official websites or apps and never directly click on links within emails.

The DIA stated that scams often use specific scenarios to mislead, such as combining prize winning with overdue payments, low prices with limited-time offers, or abnormal transaction notifications. If the public encounters similar situations, they should heighten their vigilance, avoid operating as instructed, or providing personal information.

The DIA emphasized that official entities typically do not use unknown or free email addresses to send important notifications. Furthermore, the more complete and realistic the notification content, the more it requires an extra step of verification. Taking an extra second before clicking or responding is often the key to avoiding being scammed.