Scammers are using the popularity of "Ocean Current Ribbons," a campaign item associated with Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Po-yang, to run a social media fraud scheme on Threads. The posts pose as ribbon vendors, claim the item can be shipped for free with only a NT$38 delivery charge, then steer users to LINE and ask them to operate their online banking accounts under the pretext of "real-name verification" or "payment flow verification." Taichung City Police Department's Sixth Precinct has confirmed the method is a scam.
Liberty Times reported on Oct. 21 that the fraudulent posts claimed 9,000 ribbons were available for free delivery, drawing interested users into direct messages. After that, the conversation was moved to LINE. The scammers then sent suspicious links, told users to complete shipping procedures, and finally asked them to carry out online banking steps in the name of verification.
Police said the case was fraudulent and caused no loss in this instance
Taichung's Sixth Precinct said the offer of free campaign merchandise with only a shipping fee attached was part of a scam process. In the case cited, the targeted person became suspicious and checked with police first, so no money or property was lost.
Chen Gu-feng, deputy chief of the Sixth Precinct, also used the case as a warning during an interview with Police Radio Taichung on Oct. 20. He said fraud groups may impersonate LINE contacts and send voting links to steal verification codes, or use campaign merchandise requests and small donations as excuses to obtain personal information and money.
Ribbon demand gave the scam an opening
The "Ocean Current Ribbon" has recently become a popular election item. Taichung City Councilor Lin Chi-feng paid to have the ribbons printed, and the first batch of 3,000 was distributed on Oct. 18. Some people reportedly lined up as early as 6 a.m. Liberty Times said some residents from Taipei even traveled south to collect them.
The scam posts included photos of the ribbon and campaign souvenirs and claimed that 9,000 ribbons could be shipped for free, three times the size of the first on-site release. Lin's campaign office said many people had recently reported nearly being deceived through social media. It added that more ribbons would be printed and asked the public to collect them directly from the service office.
From Threads messages to LINE and then online banking
Based on the process described by Liberty Times, the scammers first posted on Threads to attract private messages, then moved the conversation to LINE. They later sent an unknown link, asked users to complete shipping procedures, and ended by requesting online banking operations in the name of verification.
Police also said that giving gifts, buying meals, offering travel, or providing game points could constitute election bribery. People who encounter suspicious posts can call the 165 anti-fraud hotline for verification. Reports to police can be made through 110.
What police and the campaign office told the public
On the specific Threads posts that claimed to be from a vendor offering 9,000 free ribbons while charging NT$38 for shipping, Taichung's Sixth Precinct said clearly that the posts were fraudulent. Police said the usual pattern is to ask users to add LINE, click a link, and then proceed to online banking operations.
As for how to obtain the ribbons, Liberty Times reported that Lin released the first 3,000 on Oct. 18, and the campaign office said more would be printed. People were asked to collect them directly from the service office. If users see online posts asking for shipping fees, police said they can call 165 first to verify the information.