Tricked Into Being a Money Mule in Taiwan? Three Steps to Seek Non-Prosecution

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If you were tricked into being a money mule in Taiwan, preserve the full conversations, trace the money and gather records that can verify your account. A withdrawal or cash handover may explain why police contacted you, but it does not, by itself, prove that you intended to assist fraud or money laundering. www.tpc.moj.gov.tw

⚠️A money mule is someone used to receive, withdraw, carry or transfer money for others. Some people are recruited through what looks like a legitimate job, an online relationship or a routine crypto trade. They may only realise something is wrong when their bank flags the account or police ask them to attend an interview.

How People Are Tricked Into Being a Money Mule in Taiwan

1. Romance scams

Someone you meet on a dating app builds trust over time, then asks you to receive a payment, withdraw cash or forward money on their behalf. They may say it is emergency assistance or a business payment. You may even have sent them your own money before they asked you to handle someone else’s.

Case example: A dating app user who sent money to a scammer and was investigated as a money mule received a non-prosecution decision.

2. Fake job offers

An online ad offers part-time work in purchasing, payment processing or order fulfilment. After you accept, the supposed employer asks you to receive “customer payments” in your personal account, withdraw the funds, buy cryptocurrency or hand cash to a designated person. Save the job listing and onboarding messages: they may show how the work was presented to you before you agreed to handle any money.

3. Three-party scams involving online sales or crypto

A scammer poses as a buyer and gets another victim to pay you. You see the payment arrive and deliver the goods or crypto to the supposed buyer. When the person who actually sent the money reports the fraud, your account may be flagged and investigators may ask why you received the payment.

Case example: A crypto trader whose account was flagged after a three-party scam received a non-prosecution decision.

What Matters When Seeking Non-Prosecution?

Investigators may consider aggravated fraud, money laundering or related offenses, depending on what you did and what the evidence shows. A key question is what you knew or foresaw when you received, withdrew or handed over the money. Being deceived at the start of an arrangement can be relevant, but investigators may also look at whether anything changed before a later transaction. mojlaw.moj.gov.tw

Under Article 13 of Taiwan’s Criminal Code, intent can include foreseeing that the relevant criminal facts may occur and accepting that possibility. An unusual instruction, a promised commission or a third-party payment may be relevant evidence, but none automatically proves intent. The prosecution bears the burden of proof. If the evidence is insufficient to support suspicion of an offense, Article 252(10) of the Code of Criminal Procedure requires a non-prosecution decision. law.moj.gov.tw

Three Steps to Protect Yourself Before Questioning

1. Preserve complete conversations

Keep the original LINE, Telegram, dating app and social media messages. Save the job ad, profile, contract, payment instructions and any voice messages you still have. Include timestamps and surrounding messages. A single screenshot may show that you agreed to withdraw money; the full conversation may show why you thought the request was legitimate.

2. Trace the transactions and document any losses of your own

Put bank statements, transfer receipts and withdrawal records in chronological order. If crypto was involved, add exchange orders, wallet addresses and transaction IDs. Identify who sent each payment, who instructed you and where the money went.

If you also sent your own money to the scammer, preserve those records and any report you made to your bank or police. Your losses can support your account of how you were deceived, though they do not by themselves resolve what you knew about later transactions.

3. Identify independent records that can verify your location or actions

If investigators say you collected cash at a particular time and place, write down where you were and identify records that could support it. Work schedules, transit records, receipts or CCTV may help. A lawyer can also assess whether to ask the prosecutor to obtain relevant cell-site or other telecommunications records. Cell-site data generally relates to a device’s connection and should be read alongside other evidence.

💡Case example: A person accused of collecting fraud proceeds received a non-prosecution decision after counsel used cell-site records to challenge the allegation.

What a Lawyer Can Do Before and After the Interview

Bring the interview notice, full message threads and transaction records to Legal Consultant. Counsel can help identify which withdrawal or handover is under investigation, prepare a timeline, accompany you to questioning and submit a written explanation or request for relevant evidence.

If you are questioned as a suspect or defendant, you have the right to remain silent and retain counsel. If you choose to answer, distinguish what you remember from what you need to verify. Before signing, check that the written statement accurately records what you said. www.laws.taipei.gov.tw

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1 :If I was tricked into being a money mule in Taiwan, will prosecutors automatically drop the case?

No. The prosecutor considers the evidence about what you were told, what you did and what you understood at the time. A non-prosecution decision is made before trial; an acquittal is a court judgment after prosecution.

Q2 :Does a flagged bank account mean I have been found guilty?

No. An account restriction and a criminal finding are separate matters. Ask your bank what restriction applies and which authority issued the notice. web.law.ntpc.gov.tw

Q3 :Can I still respond if I already gave a police statement?

Yes. Tell counsel what you said and identify any dates, amounts or transactions you later realised were inaccurate. Counsel can assess whether to request review of the interview record or submit documents that clarify the statement.

👨🏻‍⚖️This article provides general information about Taiwan law. The linked cases describe individual outcomes and do not predict the result of another investigation.