Money mule visits temple in Taiwan for good luck before meeting scam victim, arrested while praying

Money mule in Taiwan arrested while praying for smooth-sailing crime

A 17-year-old was arrested in Taiwan last Friday (6 Dec) while praying for good luck before completing a criminal transaction.

The unusual incident unfolded at a temple in Taipei, where the teenager had arranged to meet a scam victim to collect NT$1 million (S$41,500) in cash.

However, the victim had been in contact with the police after noticing suspicious activity, and an ambush was set up at the temple.

As soon as the exchange took place, officers swooped in and successfully arrested the suspect.

High school dropout caught in scam syndicate

According to TVBS, the 17-year-old, a high school dropout, had been recruited by a local scam syndicate to act as a “money mule”.

Money mules are individuals who transfer illegally obtained funds on behalf of scam groups, typically acting as intermediaries to obscure the origins of the money.

In this case, the teenager was involved in a fraudulent investment scheme operated via a scam group chat on LINE, where victims were lured with promises of high returns.

The victim, a 51-year-old engineer, had joined the chat and previously handed over NT$300,000 (S$12,450) in a previous transaction.

The police flagged the unusual cash flow linked to the engineer’s account and, upon investigating, identified the scam.

They immediately contacted the victim and warned him that he had fallen prey to fraud.

In collaboration with the police, the victim agreed to continue the conversation with the scammers, pretending to be interested in investing more money.

He raised the sum to NT$1 million for the final meeting, where the teenager was caught.

Arrested while praying for good luck

The 17-year-old money mule had arranged to meet the victim at a local temple in the city for a cash transaction.

Upon receiving this information, the police set up an ambush at the temple to intercept the crime.

Interestingly, the teen arrived half an hour early, presumably to pray for a smooth-sailing transaction.

According to local police:

He prayed sincerely with his hands together, but crime will not escape the law.

As the teen exited the temple and made the cash exchange, the police moved in and arrested him on the spot.

The teenager had been involved with the syndicate since November and had already earned tens of thousands of New Taiwan dollars (equivalent to hundreds or thousands of Singapore dollars).

TVBS reported that the teen lives with his grandmother, who was shocked to learn about his criminal involvement.

Also read: S’porean arrested in Taiwan for working as ‘runner’ for scam syndicate

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Featured image adapted from New Taipei City Travel and ETtoday.