Deaf Taiwanese man saved from online love scam by alert bank and police
Employees at a Taiwanese bank and police officers exhibited quick thinking and calm responses in helping a deaf man to escape a potentially disastrous internet love scam. According to reports, the incident took place at a Taipei Fubon Bank branch in Peitou, Taiwan. The 48 year old man approached the bank counter intending to apply for a significant loan. Due to his hearing impairment, he communicated with the bank staff using pen and paper.
During their interaction, the man expressed his hope to receive the loan to fund his upcoming wedding. The bank employee showed additional concern, inquiring more about his story, only to be surprised that he had never met his supposed fiancée in person and did not even know her real name. Sensing something amiss, the bank employee swiftly notified the police, suspecting a fraudulent scenario.
Upon receiving the report, the police went to the bank and learned that the man had met the foreign woman through communication software in February. She had asked him to prepare funds for their wedding, stating that she would provide her bank account details once he had secured the money, and then travel to Taiwan immediately for their nuptials, reports Sanook.
This was the reason for his bank visit that day. However, after Bank employees and the police had further investigated his story, they realized that his understanding of the woman’s personal details and background was vague at best. The woman’s demands for him to borrow money for their wedding were quite obviously suspect.
Both the police officers and the bank employee carefully questioned him and patiently explained the situation through written communication. They highlighted the likelihood of a scam occurring and the potential difficulty in recovering the funds if they were sent overseas. Upon realizing that he had been deceived, the man immediately cancelled his loan application and abandoned the idea of sending money to the mysterious woman.
With the assistance of attentive bank staff and diligent police officers, a man was spared from losing a large sum of money to a duplicitous online love interest. The combined efforts of the bank and police averted what could have become a life-altering financial dilemma for the unsuspecting individual.
