KMT’s Hou Yu-ih pledges major fraud crackdown in Taiwan

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — In a policy briefing on Thursday (Dec. 7), Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih and his running mate, Jaw Shaw-kong, vowed to crack down on the rampant fraud industry plaguing Taiwan.

He pledged that, if elected, his administration would conduct a sweeping operation against fraud groups in its first year, with the aim of reducing fraud cases to a third of the current number in the second year and cutting them by half in the third year.

Hou described fraud as one of the most flourishing industries in Taiwan, recounting that a physician friend had been swindled out of NT$20-30 million.

Drawing on his past anti-fraud experience, such as establishing the 165 anti-fraud hotline, Hou acknowledged the ever-evolving tactics of scammers and a continued rise in fraud cases.

He criticized the current Democratic Progressive Party government for investing NT$2.7 billion into a national anti-fraud team, which has seen an increase in fraud cases and arrests, with about 46,000 suspects apprehended just last year.

Advocating for an inter-ministerial approach, Hou called for stronger surveillance by the National Communications Commission (NCC) in telecom facilities and emphasized the need for cooperation with mainland China.

Hou affirmed his commitment to leveraging the Organized Crime Prevention Act to bolster the fight against fraud, aspiring to produce tangible results that the public can feel by the fourth year of his presidency.