Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/05/2020
By: Su Mu-chun and Elizabeth Hsu

Taichung, Aug. 5 (CNA) Prosecutors on Wednesday obtained a court order to detain a migrant worker from the Philippines, who was accused of involvement in an investment scam targeting her compatriots in Taiwan.

The 32-year-old Filipina caregiver, identified only as Nelsa, allegedly set up a fraud ring in February 2019 to lure clients to deposit money into an account in Taiwan, which would allow them to obtain a higher exchange rate on their currency conversion from Taiwan dollars to Philippine pesos, according to the Taichung District Prosecutors' Office.

Using messaging apps, "agents" in the fraud ring in Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Chiayi and other parts of Taiwan were advertising Nelsa's "exchange and remittance" offer among Filipino migrant workers, prosecutors said.

The scammers were telling migrant workers that they could get an exchange rate of 2.5 Philippine pesos on the Taiwan dollar one month after the deposit was made, and that the rate would rise to 6 pesos after 75 days, prosecutors said.    [FULL  STORY]