If an investment may be a scam, stop sending money, preserve evidence, report promptly to 165 or police, and ask about the recipient account. Then assess a criminal complaint and civil asset-preservation measures. Whether a transfer can be intercepted depends on where the money is and how quickly institutions can act. Be wary of people who promise paid “recovery” services.
First: stop payments and preserve evidence
Save conversations with the investment promoter, including LINE messages, social media and any lawfully made call recordings. Keep transfer receipts, the platform URL and screenshots, account names, phone numbers and receiving-account details. Do not delete original files; the bank or police may need them.
Second: report it promptly
Taiwan's National Police Agency runs the 165 anti-fraud hotline for advice and reporting. You can also call 110, visit a police station or use the 165 online reporting service. Its published hotline guidance says calls from landlines and Chunghwa Telecom mobile numbers are free, while other mobile carriers charge NT$1 per minute. The online service prepares an initial report and refers the person to a convenient police station to complete it.
If transfer details are available and the money may still be in a recipient account, you may go in person to any deposit-taking institution during business hours, identify yourself, explain the scam, provide transfer details, sign its declaration and call 165. Under Article 28 of the financial anti-fraud rules, police must send personnel to take the report at that institution within two hours. Acting quickly matters.
Third: ask about recipient-account controls
存款業務機構接獲前一存款業務機構、電子支付機構或虛擬資產服務商之通報後，應就被通報之受款金額進行圈存；如帳戶餘額小於被通報之受款金額，則圈存帳戶目前餘額（金融機構及提供虛擬資產服務之事業或人員防制詐欺犯罪危害應遵循事項辦法第30條第1項）。
Unofficial English summary (not an official translation): After receiving a qualifying alert, a deposit-taking institution must ring-fence the reported amount, or the account's current balance if that is less (Financial and Virtual Asset Anti-Fraud Rules, Art. 30(1)).
Police must verify within 48 hours from ring-fencing and tell the bank whether to mark the account as alerted or release the funds. If no alert notice arrives in time, the bank releases the hold (Art. 30(3)–(4)). If money moved onward, institutions must notify the next receiving institution for further tracing (Art. 27). A victim cannot personally direct the bank's internal controls, and a hold does not guarantee repayment.
Fourth: consider legal proceedings
A crime victim may make a complaint orally or in writing to a prosecutor or judicial police officer (Code of Criminal Procedure, Arts. 232, 242). Deceit used to obtain property can fall under Criminal Code Article 339(1), punishable by up to five years' imprisonment. Specified aggravated methods, including dissemination to the public through a computer network, may fall under Article 339-4. After a prosecution, a victim may bring an attached civil damages action before the end of second-instance argument (Code of Criminal Procedure, Arts. 487–488). A separate provisional attachment may help preserve assets when legal conditions are met (Code of Civil Procedure, Arts. 522–523). See the recovery guide.
Fifth: beware of a second scam
The National Police Agency warns about people posing as hackers or law offices and claiming they can recover scam losses. Do not send more money or personal credentials to an unverified recovery service. Report a new approach to police and use formal legal routes.
Source: National Police Agency warning on recovery scams ↗.
When is legal advice useful?
Seek advice early when losses are large, the other party or their assets can be identified, or you are considering an attached civil action or provisional attachment. First check what the evidence supports and which procedure fits. This page provides general information, not individual legal advice.