Taiwan's Ministry of Finance, through its Customs Administration, has warned the public about recurring fraud cases in which victims are told they must pay large import duties or fines to release goods supposedly sent from overseas. The scams typically involve people posing as foreign acquaintances who claim to have shipped gifts or luggage to Taiwan, then ask the recipient to transfer money on the sender's behalf to avoid confiscation. The administration said these schemes often begin on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Telegram, where victims are contacted by people they have never met in person. The fraudsters may claim that high-value items such as gold, jewelry or antiques are being held by customs and require duty payments, or that cash, euros, U.S. dollars or other negotiable securities have triggered anti-money laundering violations and fines. The ministry stressed that when customs detains goods it issues an official detention receipt, and any fine is formally served through a lawful penalty notice. Duties and fines must be paid through financial institutions into designated national treasury accounts, not to private accounts, and the public should verify any suspicious claims directly with customs authorities.

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