TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC, 台積電), the world's largest contract chipmaker and a linchpin of the global technology supply chain, issued an urgent statement Monday (June 2) warning that sophisticated scammers have been impersonating the company's revered founder, Morris Chang (張忠謀), his philanthropist wife Sophie Chang (張淑芬), and current Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei (魏哲家) across multiple social media platforms.
The semiconductor giant emphasized that none of these high-profile executives maintain personal Facebook accounts or official fan pages, contradicting the sophisticated digital personas created by fraudsters. The impersonation scheme appears designed to exploit TSMC's sterling corporate reputation and the personal credibility of its leadership team, particularly founder Morris Chang, who is widely regarded as the father of Taiwan's semiconductor industry.
The company further clarified it has never conducted book giveaways or established any presence in investment or stock trading discussion groups on social media platforms — tactics apparently employed by the scammers to lure potential victims. These fraudulent activities represent a concerning evolution in digital deception, targeting investors and technology enthusiasts who follow Taiwan's most valuable company, which holds a market capitalization exceeding NT$14 trillion (approximately US$466.9 billion at current exchange rates).
TSMC urged the public to maintain heightened vigilance against these sophisticated impersonation schemes and emphasized its commitment to pursuing legal action against perpetrators who misuse the identities of company executives. The chipmaker, which supplies advanced processors to technology giants like Apple and NVIDIA, noted that its legal team is actively monitoring social media platforms to identify and address fraudulent accounts that could potentially harm investors or damage the company's carefully cultivated reputation.
The company issued a pointed reminder for the public to exercise continued caution when encountering any social media content purportedly connected to TSMC or its leadership team. Officials emphasized that the company communicates officially only through its verified corporate channels and never solicits investments or offers promotional giveaways through social media platforms, establishing clear guidelines to help stakeholders distinguish legitimate communications from increasingly prevalent deceptive practices ◼
