Woman Becomes Money Laundering Mule to Recover Scammed Funds, Acquitted by Judge Recognizing Second Victimization
A woman, seeking to recover funds defrauded in a previous investment scam, was misled by a company claiming to hack into the scam group, leading her to provide her account details and subsequently become implicated in money laundering. The Kaohsiung District Court, after reviewing the case, determined she was a second-time victim and acquitted her due to a lack of subjective criminal intent.
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- 📰 Published: April 18, 2026 at 13:20
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A Ms. Su in Kaohsiung was defrauded of NT$3.6 million in a fake investment scam. Subsequently, she was introduced to a company called "ACC Company" by an online acquaintance who claimed the company could hack into the scam group and help recover the lost funds. Desperate to settle her debts, Ms. Su mistakenly believed their claims.
In September 2023, Ms. Su provided her bank account to members of a scam group posing as "ACC Technology Co., Ltd." via LINE. The scam group then used the account to defraud victims Ms. Li and Mr. Xie, who transferred NT$180,000 and NT$450,000 respectively into Ms. Su's account under the guise of fake romantic relationships and family emergencies.
Following instructions, Ms. Su then used a virtual currency platform to purchase Tether (USDT) and transfer it to an electronic wallet designated by the scam group. She claimed she was unaware this action was creating a financial liquidity breakpoint for the scam group and that she was complicit in aggravated fraud and money laundering offenses.
During the trial at the Kaohsiung District Court, Ms. Su insisted that she was previously defrauded in a fake investment scheme and owed interest to underground lenders. She met an acquaintance on Facebook who introduced her to "ACC Company," which claimed it could help recover the scammed funds. The acquaintance allegedly told her that the money transferred into her account was "intercepted and recovered funds through technology" and needed to be converted into virtual currency to "clean" it for safe use. She maintained she had no idea she was helping the scam group launder money.
Upon examining Ms. Su's conversation records, the judge found that the scam group, impersonating "ACC Company," exploited her urgent situation. They not only asked Ms. Su to convert virtual currency but also deceived her a second time by demanding a "deposit for bookkeeping," totaling an additional loss of over NT$280,000 in virtual currency and cash. Her predicament was no different from that of ordinary scam victims.
Furthermore, individuals who typically provide mule accounts to scam groups usually lose control over their accounts. However, during the period in question, Ms. Su continued to use her bank account for daily expenses, including payments to CPC, Chunghwa Telecom, Uber Eats, and Netflix, and also used it to receive payments for decoration engineering projects, which is entirely inconsistent with the characteristics of a typical mule account.
After reviewing the case, the judge concluded that Ms. Su was misled by the scam tactics and subjectively believed she was recovering her own funds. She had no joint intent to commit fraud or money laundering with the scam group. Based on this, Ms. Su was acquitted. The case can be appealed. (Editor: Huang Ming-hsi) 1150418
In September 2023, Ms. Su provided her bank account to members of a scam group posing as "ACC Technology Co., Ltd." via LINE. The scam group then used the account to defraud victims Ms. Li and Mr. Xie, who transferred NT$180,000 and NT$450,000 respectively into Ms. Su's account under the guise of fake romantic relationships and family emergencies.
Following instructions, Ms. Su then used a virtual currency platform to purchase Tether (USDT) and transfer it to an electronic wallet designated by the scam group. She claimed she was unaware this action was creating a financial liquidity breakpoint for the scam group and that she was complicit in aggravated fraud and money laundering offenses.
During the trial at the Kaohsiung District Court, Ms. Su insisted that she was previously defrauded in a fake investment scheme and owed interest to underground lenders. She met an acquaintance on Facebook who introduced her to "ACC Company," which claimed it could help recover the scammed funds. The acquaintance allegedly told her that the money transferred into her account was "intercepted and recovered funds through technology" and needed to be converted into virtual currency to "clean" it for safe use. She maintained she had no idea she was helping the scam group launder money.
Upon examining Ms. Su's conversation records, the judge found that the scam group, impersonating "ACC Company," exploited her urgent situation. They not only asked Ms. Su to convert virtual currency but also deceived her a second time by demanding a "deposit for bookkeeping," totaling an additional loss of over NT$280,000 in virtual currency and cash. Her predicament was no different from that of ordinary scam victims.
Furthermore, individuals who typically provide mule accounts to scam groups usually lose control over their accounts. However, during the period in question, Ms. Su continued to use her bank account for daily expenses, including payments to CPC, Chunghwa Telecom, Uber Eats, and Netflix, and also used it to receive payments for decoration engineering projects, which is entirely inconsistent with the characteristics of a typical mule account.
After reviewing the case, the judge concluded that Ms. Su was misled by the scam tactics and subjectively believed she was recovering her own funds. She had no joint intent to commit fraud or money laundering with the scam group. Based on this, Ms. Su was acquitted. The case can be appealed. (Editor: Huang Ming-hsi) 1150418