Asia Fraud Survey
Have you ever received a cold call, or often seen investment advertisements claiming to be "highly profitable" on messaging software or social platforms? With the advancement of the Internet age, fraud methods are constantly being updated, and today's scams can be said to be everywhere.
On October 21st and 22nd, 2024, the 2nd Global Fraud Prevention Alliance GASA Asian Fraud Prevention Summit will be held in Singapore. Members of the alliance will take a look at its digital anti-fraud software Whoscall, Global Fraud Prevention Alliance (GASA) and anti-fraud The service provider ScamAdviser released a report that surveyed nearly 25,000 respondents in 13 regions in Asia.
Ranking of the most common scams in Taiwan
The report shows that the most common target of fraud in Taiwan is users' "personal information", accounting for 24% of all fraud cases. This type of fraud usually claims victims by pretending to be legitimate institutions, such as financial institutions or government agencies. The attackers provide personal information, and even use it to defraud the victim's bank card password and other information, thereby committing theft.
Secondly, shopping fraud and corporate impersonation fraud accounted for 15% and 13% respectively. These two types of fraud often target consumers who shop online and business practitioners.
Shopping scams usually tell the victim that they have "placed the wrong order" through phone calls, text messages, emails, etc., and require the victim to refund or return the item according to the instructions. In the process, the victim may be defrauded of passwords, personal information, etc.; Corporate impersonation fraud uses fake company information to create a sense of trust, and then defrauds victims of information and money through phone calls, text messages, emails, etc.
Scams involving fake relatives and friends and scams about winning prizes and discounts tied for fourth place at 11%. For example, many Taiwanese people will receive messages from fake relatives and friends, asking for urgent remittances or personal information. Discount fraud involves sending fake "winning notifications" or "super-value offers" to attract victims to make purchases or make payments.
How easy are Taiwanese to be deceived?
There is a data in the report worth pondering. The data points out that according to the report data, more than 50% of people in Taiwan are exposed to fraud every week. The most common fraud channels are phone calls (59.9%) and social platforms (54.5%). and newsletters (52.5%).
Among them, nearly 27% of defrauded people in Taiwan will directly fall into the fraud trap within one hour after being exposed to the scam for the first time. About 19% of the defrauded people will be fooled within a few days, and 15% of them will It can take weeks, months or even years before you realize you have been scammed.
In the Internet age, fraud on social platforms has grown rapidly, with an average increase of 21% a year. More than 63% of Taiwanese people have encountered fraud on Facebook, and 47.1% of Taiwanese users have encountered fraud on LINE. Most of these scams that appear on social platforms are dating scams, fake investment scams, etc., which use highly profitable investment advertisements or emotional fraud to lure victims step by step into purchasing fake financial products.
In the face of endless fraud techniques, Taiwanese people should be more vigilant and enhance their awareness of personal data protection. At the same time, companies and governments should also strengthen fraud prevention measures and education. Whether it is personal information theft, shopping fraud, or investment fraud, the public must always remain vigilant and not give fraudsters an opportunity.
