Tainan marketing firm took USDT to place fake investment ads for scam rings, police say
Police in Tainan said on Sept. 15 that a digital marketing company founded in 2023 helped scam groups run fake investment and romance ads on Facebook, while also buying LINE accounts to act as fake users showing fabricated profits in chat groups. Authorities said 36 victims were identified, with total losses exceeding NT$55.54 million. The company allegedly collected more than NT$28 million in ad placement and related service fees from the fraud operation. According to the case details cited by ETtoday from police, the main suspect set up the Taiwan company and also established an offshore shell advertising technology company to obscure fund flows. Police said the firm accepted Tether (USDT) first and then converted the funds into cash in Taiwan. In coordinated searches carried out in three waves, investigators seized 34 mobile phones, 11 laptops, three desktop computers, one tablet, NT$5.2838 million in cash, and about 89,599 USDT. The case was referred to the Tainan District Prosecutors Office with 13 suspects transferred for investigation. A 36-year-old surnamed Lee, identified as the alleged ringleader, and three ad buyers were detained by court order. Authorities also said Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs first flagged unusual ad-related money flows, and Meta later provided ad placement and registration records tied to the investigation.
